Harry Potter and the Return of the Squib Son
by phantomace13
Summary: When Harry Potter's brother is thought to be the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry is thought to be a squib and left with the Dursleys.  But what happens when Harry gets his Hogwarts letter?
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:**__ This is my first fanfiction so go easy on me. Also, I do not own _Harry Potter_. All _Harry Potter_ works belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling. _

_**Summary:**__ When Harry Potter's brother is thought to be the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry is thought to be a squib and left with the Dursleys. But what happens when Harry gets his Hogwarts letter?_

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four Privet Drive were very proud to say that they were the perfect family in the entire world. Mr. Vernon Dursley was the director of a popular drill company called Grunnings. Mrs. Petunia Dursley kept a perfect house, although it was very difficult to tell the difference on Privet Drive. The Dursley's son Dudley was their vision of a perfect boy. However, it wasn't Mr. Dursley's job, Mrs. Dursley's house, or their son that made them popular on Privet Drive; it was their nephew Harry James Potter.

Harry Potter was an unusual boy. When he was fifteen months his parents gave him to his aunt and uncle, claiming that they didn't want him, he wasn't up to their standards. This alone was enough for the Potters to earn the hatred of the resident of Privet Drive, but it didn't stop there. Since a young age Harry Potter had set out to prove his parents wrong about him. During his time at school young Harry got straight A's, studied hard, turn in his homework on time, and even helped out the younger kids. His teachers said that he was very likeable and they could find no faults with him.

Also, despite being only ten years old, Harry Potter helped out around the neighborhood as much as he could; moving lawns, pruning and weeding flower beds, washing cars, anything that his neighbor's needed him to do and never with complaint. He also helped his aunt greatly around the house, even assisting in the cooking. Mrs. Dursley could be heard bragging to Mrs. Number-Six about the most delicious apple pie that her nephew had made the other night. It was all this that made the residents of Privet Drive despise the Potters and absolutely love the Dursleys, anyone who raised such a wonderful boy must be the greatest parents in the world.

Despite all of their neighbor's praise, the Dursley's knew something was different about their nephew; weird things always seemed to happen around him. Like that one time when little Sally Davis was being chased by Mr. Number-Eleven's prized bulldog and a nearby fire hydrant suddenly sprayed a large amount of on the dog, making him run away with his tale between his legs. There is also the fact that his hair grew faster than the weeds he removed from his aunt's garden every day. Although the neighbors dismissed these things as accidents, coincident, or tricks of the mind, both Harry and the Dursleys knew that something was up.

We join Harry and the Dursleys on their yearly trip to the zoo for Dudley's birthday. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were spoiling Dudley on everything, while he and his friend Piers Polkiss were bored to death. Harry meanwhile was thinking of the strange man he had encountered coming out of the restroom at the zoo restaurant. He was short, bald, had a white beard, and dressed in weird green clothes. When he saw Harry he squeaked and started to shake his hand. When the man took a closer look at Harry he quickly let go, apologized, and left faster than Harry could blink. When Harry tried to get a closer look however, the mysterious man was gone without a trace.

Harry was still thinking about the man when they walked into the reptile house. He was taking out of his thoughts by his uncle rapping on the glass of a cage containing a large boa constrictor. The snake looked asleep so Dudley and his uncle left, bored. Looking at the snake, Harry felt sorry for it, being bothered by various people while trying to sleep. Suddenly, the snake looked up at him and winked. Startled, it took Harry a while to wink back. Staring at Vernon and Dudley the snake said "I get that a lot".

To shocked to respond to a talking snake, Harry almost didn't hear someone yell, "DUDLEY, MR. DURSLEY, COME QUICK! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT THIS SNAKE IS DOING!"

"Move out of the way Harry!" yelled Dudley and he shoved him aside. Falling hard on the floor, Harry glared up at Dudley and was about to respond when both Dudley and Piers jumped away from the glass as it vanished.

The boa constrictor slid out of its cage, on the floor, and out the building, hissing a _Thanks_ on the way out. All three Dursleys and Piers were too shocked to do anything for several minutes before quickly running out of the reptile house. Harry noted that his aunt and uncle snuck a quick glance at him, although Dudley and Piers were too scared to notice.

The moment they got back to number four, while Petunia ran to get his uncle a large brandy, Harry ran up to his room. Sitting on his bed, Harry looked around his room thinking. Shelves of books lined the walls, while some of his best awards hung framed on his walls. Snakes don't talk and glass doesn't just vanish on its own, now Harry had proof that weird things happened around him and he vowed to get to the bottom of it. Little did he know that his answer would arrive a few weeks later and it wasn't the answer he was expecting.

On the Monday a week before Harry's birthday, while his relatives were eating breakfast, Harry went to get the mail when he heard the mail slot. Harry picked up the mail and started to shift thru it. The mail for today was a letter from Aunt Marge, his uncle's sister, a bill, and _a letter for Harry_. Written on the envelope was:

Mr. H. Potter

The Smallest Bedroom

4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey

**Author's Note:** This is my first fanfic so go easy on me. Please read and review, give me feedback on how to improve. Also, I'm looking for a beta reader.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer:**__ This is my first fanfiction so go easy. Also, I do not own _Harry Potter_. All _Harry Potter_ works belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling. _

Harry stared at the strange letter with weird paper and addressed in green ink. His address covered the entire front and there was no stamp or return address. On the back was a coat of arms that showed a lion, badger, eagle, and snake surrounding a large letter _H_. Harry had no one to write to, so he never got letters, yet he still wanted to know who was writing him.

"Hurry up, Harry!' came Uncle Vernon's voice. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?"

"Coming." he shouted back.

"What came?' asked Vernon as Harry walked back into the kitchen.

"A letter from Aunt Marge, what looks like a bill, and… a letter for me." Harry responded handing over the first two items.

Vernon quickly read the letter from Aunt Marge informing them about her health and then tossed aside the bill before asking, "Who's the letter from?"

"No idea, but there is no stamp or return address." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aunt Petunia suddenly pale at the sight of the letter and its description.

Harry slowly opened the envelope and tossed it aside where it was snatched up by Dudley. Reading the first few lines, the letter was quickly thrown away as well as Harry angrily demanded out loud "IS THIS SOMEKIND OF A JOKE?"

The letter was quickly grabbed off the table by Aunt Petunia who read it while her husband read it over her shoulder. Both of their faces were extremely white as Petunia muttered "Im-Impossible..she…she said.."

"Who said what?' asked Harry curiously. Even Dudley had forgotten about his breakfast to learn all about what the big deal was with the strange letter.

Petunia's only response was 'My sister'.

At these words, Harry's anger grew. Everyone in number four hated the Potters. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon because of some strange reason that Harry never asked nor cared about, Dudley because his parents hated them, and Harry because of the way that they abandoned him. He even planned on changing his name once he became of age because he didn't like being named after his father.

"What do my parents have to do with that letter?" asked Harry.

Sighing deeply Petunia answered, "Everything. When we took you in, my sister said that you wouldn't get this letter. That is the only reason we took you in. This letter is no joke, it's real; witches and wizards are real. It started late one night in early November ten years ago. Your parents came to us in the middle of the night asking us to take you in. They said that you weren't like them, that you were like us, and that they didn't want you. When I heard that you were _normal_, I just knew I would have to take you in. Although there were signs while you were growing up, I didn't want to believe it. Your magic didn't happen very often and I just wanted to believe that you were normal, but now I have to accept the truth; you really are a wizard."

At the end of the tale both Harry and Dudley were staring at Petunia and the letter in her hand. _So the only reason that my parents abandoned me was because they thought that I wasn't a wizard_, was Harry's thoughts as his aunt started to rant about her freakish sister from the day she got her own letter to the day that she and her good-for-nothing husband dropped Harry off on their doorstep.

"This is perfect" Harry finally said out loud, stopping his aunt from going into detail about a prank that his father and friends played on her one time they visited.

"How is being a freak like your freakish parents perfect boy?" Uncle Vernon nearly shouted, his face turning redder by the minute.

"Because this is a chance for revenge, for both of us." was Harry's reply. "This gives me the chance to show them that I am a wizard, a better wizard than my brother. Plus this gives you the chance to show you can raise a better wizard, you the _normal_ family are able to make a better wizard than a wizard family. Think of it as the ultimate prank on a group of pranksters. Not to mention that you can brag to the rest of Privet Drive that I got into a prestigious, private school that my parents didn't think I'd be able to get into, and people will start to talk if your attitude towards me suddenly changed."

As Harry talked and his relatives thought about it, he could see that they were slowly starting to come around to the idea as their smiles grew. "Alright boy, we'll allow you to go, but you better make good on your promise. And another thing, we won't be paying much for your schooling."

"Not a problem Uncle Vernon, I still have a bunch of money saved up from my work around the neighborhood. I'll do more work over the summer and that combined with your money should be more than enough for me."

Aunt Petunia relented. "Very well Harry, we'll take you London to buy your school supplies on your birthday. There is a place on Charring's Cross were you can get them, but you're on your own, I'm not setting on foot in _that_ world ever again."

Around ten on his birthday, Harry was walking along the road that his aunt had said to find the entrance to the wizarding world. His aunt had told him to look for an old pub called the Leaky Cauldron. From what his aunt could remember it was very popular, so he could expect a handful of witches and wizards going in and out, and _normal_ people couldn't see it, so just look for a building that everyone on the street ignored.

Harry quickly found the pub in a couple of minutes. It wasn't hard with a giant man walking down the road. The giant had wild black hair and beard and was wearing what looked like a tent with fur for a coat. The size of the man wasn't what tipped him off, although it did give him a clue, it was a word he said that his aunt had also mentioned; muggles. When the giant walked into a dirty old building with what looked like a witch stirring a cauldron, Harry knew he had found the right place.

The pub was very dark and only slightly crowded. Harry took a quick look around and then walked up to the bald, old bartender. "Excuse me sir, but is this the Leaky Cauldron?" asked Harry.

Looking down and giving a toothless smile he responded, "Yes, it is. I take it you're a muggle-born?" Seeing Harry's confused face he continued "A muggle is what we call a non-magical person and a muggle-born is a witch or wizard born to muggles. What is your name young man?"

"Harry sir."

"Hagrid!" the bartender called after the giant who entered before Harry who was now walking out the backdoor, "Could you take young Harry here and show him around Diagon Alley?"

"Sure thing Tom. Come along Arry." The giant called Hagrid beckoned Harry to follow him out the back.

"Thank-you sir." Harry called out to Tom the bartender as he and Hagrid walked into a small courtyard in back.

"Now let's see here…three up and two across" Hagrid said as he tapped bricks on the wall. Suddenly the bricks started moving and formed an arch which led to a long street behind the Leaky Cauldron. "Welcome Harry, to Diagon Alley.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

Harry starred at everything that his eyes could see. On both sides of the street were magical shops that sold everything from cauldrons and ingredients to brooms and robes. There was a large group of boys of various ages looking into the window of a shop that was dedicated to something called Quidditch, talking about a broom in the window. They were passing a book shop when Hagrid said "We'll need to stop by Gringotts Wizard Bank to get you some money, you probably have just have some muggle notes. By the way, where is your family?"

"They're busy in elsewhere in London, so they decided to drop me off here to get my supplies." Harry said with a hard face.

"Oh, well, you're in for a real treat this year. The Boy-Who-Lived is starting Hogwarts too this year."

"The Boy-Who-Lived?" Harry asked confused.

"Yea, Daniel Potter. Ya see, about twenty years ago, this dark wizard and his followers started a war with the rest of the wizarding world. You-Know-Who, the dark wizard, nobody except old Dumbledore, great man, says his name as everybody is still afraid of him. Anyway, You-Know-Who believed that people like you didn't deserve the chance to study magic and only wanted people from wizarding families to know magic. He killed a lot of good families to do so.

Then about ten years ago on Halloween, he attacked the Potters for some reason. They were in hiding, but one of You-Know-Who's spies found them and led him right to them. However, Dumbledore had his own spies and one of them tipped him off about the attack. When he arrived Lily and James were unconscious, but their little boy Daniel was alright, screaming up a storm, but alright. In front of him was You-Know-Who's robes and a pile of rubble. All little Daniel got from that night was a V-shaped scar on his forehead. So Dumbledore declared him to be the vanquisher of You-Know-Who and the Boy-Who-Lived and the war was over the next day."

Harry thought about his families past. His aunt had said that his family had dropped him off in early November ten years ago; just a few days after this dark wizard had attacked them. Harry knew that there was a coincidence. They had come to a tall white building that Hagrid identified as Gringotts. On each side of the door was a goblin. Looking closely, Harry could read a poem on the bronze doors:

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

Harry smiled at the first half of the poem; it sounded like a good motto to follow. They entered a dimly lit, marble hall with dozens of goblins and humans.

"It's a good thing old Tom asked me to show you around, I've got business here for Dumbledore."

"You can take care of your business; just tell me where to get my stuff. I'll be fine on my own."

Hagrid looked unsure, but after a few minutes of persuasion, he told Harry where he could find everything on his list and then walked up to a free goblin at the counter. Taking a few deep breaths, Harry also walked over to the counter and waited in a short line before coming up to the goblin.

"Excuse me, but I'd like to exchange some muggle money for some wizarding money and maybe open an account here."

Without looking up from his books the goblin said "What type of account do you want? There is the regular account where you deposit money with the bank and we keep a record of it. Your account will gain interest and you will not be charged but Gringotts will not store you money and is only used with small amounts of gold. The vault system allows you to store large amounts of gold with Gringotts but you do not gain interest and there is a vault upkeep fee every month."

"I think I'll go with the regular account for now, sir"

"Very well then, name?"

"Harry Potter, sir."

Looking curiously at Harry the goblin asked "Is there any reason you're not using your trust vault Mr. Potter?"

"I have a trust vault?"

Looking annoyed the goblin started to explain "Every old family has a trust vault for their children when they are born. The money in those vaults allows the child to pay to schooling and help them get started after the graduate. Both you and your brother have trust vaults here at Gringotts."

"I was unaware as I have been living with muggles for the past ten years."

"We will have a goblin take you down to see your trust vault, but first we must make sure that you are Harry Potter." Taking out a slip of parchment and a black quill, the goblin had Harry sign his full name on the parchment. Harry's right hand stung as he sign in red ink. The goblin then took the parchment and held it up to the light. Nodding he summoned another goblin.

"I would also like to deposit my muggle money and some gold from my trust vault into an account"

"Very well, just give your money and whatever gold you want to deposit to Gornuk here and we'll take care of the rest. Here is your new key for you trust vault. NEXT!"

Taking the key, Harry followed Gornuk thru a pair of doors and down a rollercoaster like ride down to vault 687. Opening the vault, Gornuk explained about Galleons, Sickles, and Kunts. Behind the door was a large pile of gold and smaller pills of silver. Filling two bags with the coins, Harry gave one to Gornuk along with his muggle money and told him to put it in his new account.

Once outside Gringotts, Harry made his way to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. There was only one other customer there, a blond boy with a pale face. From the way the boy talked to Harry he thought that he was someone who grew up in a wizarding home. Thinking that he could confirm what stores sold what Harry asked him only for the boy to get angry, call him a filthy mudblood, and storm off. Confused at what set him off, Harry decided to forget about him and once done getting his robes, went on with his shopping.

Harry bought a green trunk at the trunk shop, extra phials and ingredients, and a spare cauldron and scales. In addition to the required books, he also got a few extras to give him some background reading and information on the wizarding world and his family. Two promising titles were _Modern Magical History _and_ Hogwarts: A History_. Walking past the owl shop, a beautiful snowy caught his eye. Remembering the note about being allowed an owl he quickly bought the snowy that seemed quite proud that she had been bought. The last shop Harry visited was _Ollivanders; Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C._ Harry could practically feel the magic in the air when he walked into the small shop.

"Good afternoon Mr. Potter." came a voice from the back that belonged to an old man who came from the back of the shop. "I knew that I would be seeing you soon, despite that you family said that you were a squib, muggle born into a wizarding family. They were here earlier in the week. Your mother's wand was ten and a quarter inches, swishy and made of willow, nice for charms. Your father however favored a mahogany wand, eleven inches, pliable, and excellent for transfiguration. It's really the wand the chooses the wizard of course. The wand that chose your brother was cherry, nine-and-a-half inches, snappish, good overall. Now, enough of your families' wands, let's see what your wand is."

For the next half hour Harry tried various wands made from different materials, had different cores, and various lengths. According to Mr. Ollivander, none of the wands chose Harry, and the more that he tried the happier Mr. Ollivander became. Finally he walked to the backroom and brought out a black box, muttering. Harry knew that this was his wand the moment he touched it; he felt a great warmth throughout his right arm.

"Curious. Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches. It is curious that you are destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar. Thirteen-and-a-half inches, yew, powerful, very powerful. I think we can expect great things from _you_ Mr. Potter. After all Ne-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things, terrible, but great."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Harry Potter, so nothing belongs to me except Daniel Potter. _

* * *

><p>The month of August was a busy one for not only Harry, but the Dursleys as well. Before his Hogwarts letter, Harry had planned to attend Stonewall High as he didn't want to attend Smeltings like Dudley. Since Harry's declaration of revenge, Petunia and Vernon and started to make plans to improve their image. Vernon was tutoring Dudley in everything he needed to know at Smeltings as Harry wasn't able to help him like before. Meanwhile, Petunia had dug up Lily's old letters to her parents that she got when Mr. and Mrs. Evans died and was reviewing everything that Lily had ever said or wrote about Hogwarts and the wizarding world.<p>

With all that Aunt Petunia found and remembered Harry was able to get a pretty good idea on who and what most of his professors were like. Transfiguration, the art of changing one thing into another, was taught by the Deputy Headmistress and head of Gryffindor House, Minerva McGonagall. She was a strict, no nonsense teacher, and was to main professor to deal with his pranking father and his friends. Potions use to be taught by a man called Horace Slughorn, who was also head of Slytherin, but apparently he was supposed to have retired the year after Lily graduated. A woman called Pomona Sprout taught Herbology, study of magical plants, and was head of Hufflepuff. Lily's favorite teacher was Filius Flitwick, Charms teacher and head of Ravenclaw. History was supposed to be boring as it was taught by a ghost teacher, so Harry extensively read his History book, finding a name for his owl. Aurora Sinistra taught Astronomy, and finally Harry and Petunia learned that the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher changed every year, so it was another class in witch Harry read extensively.

Harry also made a couple more trips to Diagon Alley and Gringotts to deposit more of his hard earned muggle money and to transfer more of his trust vault money to his new account. He didn't know if his family could close the vault or not or even if they would try, but he wasn't about to take any chances, the money in that vault would assist in his revenge as much as possible. The trips also provided valuable information about the how the wizarding world had changed since the fall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and about the status of his family.

As August started to come to a close, Harry felt both nerves and excitement. He was going into a brand-new world that was completely different from the one he knew. He was also going to see his family again for the first time since he could remember, and he wasn't looking forward to it. At five o'clock in the morning on September first, Harry was awake and double checking everything; his trunk was packed and his owl Hedwig was in her cage still asleep.

Harry left number four with Uncle Vernon a couple minutes past seven. After saying good-bye to Dudley and Aunt Petunia, with some last minute instructions on how to find the platform, Harry was on his way to London and Kings Cross Station. Uncle Vernon helped Harry load his trunk onto a cart and then, telling him that he'd better do his best and reminding Harry to write _only_ once every month or two left the station.

Harry quickly found the right barrier and, felling stupid and scared running straight at a brick wall, took off at a fast walk. Just before hitting the barrier, he closed his eyes waiting for a crash that never came. A bright scarlet steam engine called _Hogwarts Express_ sat on the tracks in front of him. The crowded platform held people in various colors of robes while students, cats, and owls called out to one another, Hedwig included.

Harry quickly found an empty compartment in the middle of the train and claimed it for himself. He was just loading his trunk into an overhead rack when a large group of people arrived on the platform. Most of the people had red hair, except for two males with black hair and glasses. Two males that look a lot like Harry. The youngest of the males was talking with one of the red-headed boys who looked to be about his age. A little girl hung around sneaking glances at the two boys from around her mother. Two twins joked around with the eldest who was already wearing wizard robes and a badge with a large letter _P_ while their mother yelled at them. The black-haired man had put his hand on his son's shoulder and was whispering in his ear with the son nodding.

Harry grew angry at the sight of his family with obvious friends. Kicking open his trunk, Harry grabbed a random book and sat down pretending to read so that he didn't have to look at the two families. The book however, couldn't drown out the noise from them; the little girl crying, his father's proud boasts, the jokes of the twins, and the yelling of the mother. Eventually the train's whistle covered the noise and a few second latter they were on their way to Hogwarts.

Harry was still angry about seeing and hearing his family for the first time that he didn't even notice or hear the door to his compartment opening. He was brought out of his thoughts by a girl's voice asking "Excuse me, but can I sit with you?"

Looking up, Harry saw a girl his own age already dressed in her robes. She had bushy brown hair, large front teeth, was carrying her trunk behind her, and was looking at Harry with hope in her eyes.

"Of course" Harry responded, pointing at the seat in front of him. The girl smiled and dragged her trunk in with her. Seating on the seat, she starred at Harry until her eyes landed on the book he had in his hand.

"Do you like that book too? It's my absolute favorite by far, but of course I also like..."

Harry was completely surprised by the girl's energy and eagerness in her voice. Looking down, he saw that the book he had grabbed in his attempt to hide from his family was _Hogwarts: A History_. Before Harry could even respond to the girl's questions, she was still talking, the door opened once more to show a short, cubby, round-faced boy who looked like he'd been crying.

"Excuse me, but have either of you seen a toad at all?"

"No" said the girl "But we'll help you look anyway." Standing up very quickly she grabbed the boy's arm and dragged him in one direction. Looking at Harry she said in a bossy voice "We'll look towards the back of the train, you look towards the front." Off she went with the toadless boy, who looked as surprised as Harry felt.

Sighing, Harry got up to look for the toad. During his search he met many of his fellow students; some were fellow first years, nervous about beginning Hogwarts, others were upperclassmen who were mainly annoyed when Harry asked them if he had seen a toad. A handful, wearing green and silver on their robes, teased him about losing his toad. Among these members was the blond boy he saw in Diagon Alley who made a comment about how useless mudbloods were. Despite all this, he didn't find any toads anywhere.

Returning to his compartment, Harry was both glad and sad that he didn't see his brother anywhere. He was joined shortly by the bossy girl and toadless boy, still toadless. The boy was still sad while the girl had a furious look on her face. She immediately sat down and crossed her arms in a pouting way. "Didn't find the toad?"

"No!" snapped the girl, "But we did find _the great, awesome_ Daniel Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-An-Arrogant-Prat." She then went on a long rant on how Daniel was extremely arrogant and the biggest prat on the face of the earth.

Looking at the girl shyly the boy explained, "We ran into Daniel Potter and his friend Ronald Weasley at the back of the train. Weasley was attempting magic and when he failed Hermione here tried to help him. Daniel then started insulting her and said that the friends of the great Daniel Potter don't need the help of some witch who was just introduced to the wizarding world when they have been practicing magic all of their life. My name's Neville by the way, Neville Longbottom."

"Pleased to meet you Neville Longbottom and Hermione, I'm Harry Potter."

The Hermione girl's rant immediately stopped as both hers and Neville's eyes got wide. "Are you related to Daniel Potter?" she asked.

"He's my brother." Harry said, laughing inwardly at the look of horror on Hermione's face.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I had no idea." Hermione said, going into full apology mode. "How come all the books I've read on Daniel Potter never mentioned you?"

"It's alright, I don't even know my brother, and I grew up with my muggle aunt and uncle because my parents thought I was a squib. I didn't even know about the magical world until I got my letter."

Smiling Hermione said "I grew up the same way, only I'm muggle-born. My parents are both dentists so it was ever a surprise when I got my letter, but they were so pleased. What are you guys looking forward to the most, I've read all my course books by heart and so far Transfiguration looks the best, how about you?

Harry smiled as he and Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger talked about various things the rest of the train ride to Hogwarts. They each shared what they were looking forward to, what they weren't looking forward to, their upbringings, and the stories of each of their cases of accidental magic. He learned that Neville had problems with confidence and had problems with accidental magic. Hermione however was going to be a competitor with Harry for the top spot in their class ranking. Harry bought them all a small bit of candy when a lady with a cart came by while Neville explained about them. All too soon the ride came to an end, Harry had finally reached Hogwarts.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>** I'll try to update as much as I can, but once we reach late July, expect a chapter about once every week as I prepare to return to school. Once we reach September I'll update less often as football season comes around. I will try to have started Harry's second year by then but no promises. I will also live some answers to questions next chapter and will do so every five chapters or so. Hopefully most questions will be answered in the story soon. Until then, continue to read and review. **

**One more thing; due to a certain review I have been given a new idea within this story. I have opened a poll for readers to decide the reason Lily Potter abandoned Harry to the Dursleys. I have encountered fanfics that have both James and Lily as the bad guys, just James is bad and Lily is good, or the rare reverse; Lily is bad and James is good. I don't care either way and I am able to write all three. I've just given the choice to your, the readers to decide what is going on in the world of Lily Potter. The poll will be closed sometime in September and I'll hopefully have the results a few chapters after it closes. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry about the poll, I don't know what is going on but I've decided to take it down so don't worry about voting anymore. Now to answer some questions I've had. Harry is the real boy-who-lived, Daniel is just mistaken to be him, and it will be fixed at the end of the story. Yes Harry and Daniel are identical twins, Daniel is the eldest. However, there are some differences between Harry and Daniel, which will play a major part in the story. It is also because of these differences that no one recognizes Harry as James's son. Also, the wizarding world has been led to believe that Daniel is an only child, so anyone who looks like him is just a coincidence. There also aren't that many pictures of Daniel out there, so they only have a general description. Hopefully that will answer most of the questions, if you have any more just put them in your review. **

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter, but I do own Daniel Potter. Everything else belongs to J. K. Rowling.

* * *

><p>As the train slowed down, a voice sounded throughout the train, telling students to leave their luggage on the train, that it would be taken to the school separately. Harry now felt the nerves that he had been fighting down since entering platform nine-and-three-quarters. Looking at Neville's and Hermione's faces, he could see that they felt the same way. Tossing everything in their trunks, they joined the mass of students already making their way off the train.<p>

The Hogwarts platform was small, dark, and cold, and the night air did little to help the three eleven year olds. Most of the students seemed to know where they were supposed to go, but Harry and his friends didn't. They figured it out when a loud, booming voice called out, "First years, first years over here!" They looked towards the voice and Harry recognized Hagrid carrying a large lantern, waving his large hand, summoning them. They quickly joined the growing group of frightened children.

Feeling a tug on his sleeve, Harry looked at Hermione who was pointing towards two boys a few feet away, and recognized them at once. The tallest had red hair, freckles all over his face, big hands and feet, and a long nose. The other was just a couple inches shorter than his friend, had short black hair, a rounded body, hazel eyes with glasses, and a V-shaped scar just above his left eye. For the first time in his life, Harry got a good look at his brother.

Harry had wondered why Hagrid, the bartender at the Leaky Cauldron, and everyone else didn't see him as Daniel's brother, now he understood why. Although he wasn't short, Harry was about an inch or two shorter than Daniel, was skinnier because of all the running he did, had green eyes, and had his hair longer to hide the lightning shaped scar on his forehead. The differences were small (probably due to their different upbringings), but no one would mistake them for brothers at first glance, only a side-by-side comparison would do.

"Come on and follow me now, you'll get your first glance at Hogwarts real soon." said Hagrid. They followed him from the empty platform down a dark, narrow path. Harry shivered in the cold as they walked. "Just around the bend here." In front of them, across a large lake, stood a humongous castle. Harry couldn't speak from the absolute beauty in front of him; there were simply no words to explain the magnificence that was Hogwarts.

They were led to the shore of the lake where there was a small fleet of boats. "No more than four to a boat." called out Hagrid, getting into one himself. Harry, Neville, and Hermione claimed one for themselves, while Harry noticed that his brother and the red-headed boy were joined by two others who Neville said was in their compartment with them. Once everyone was in a boat, and at Hagrid's command, the fleet floated across the lake. During the ride, Neville just gazed up at the castle while Hermione whispered everything she remembered reading about Hogwarts to him at a rapid pace.

Soon they came to a cliff and sailed underneath the castle to an underground harbor. They gathered on the dock while Hagrid checked all of the boats. He found Neville's toad Trevor hiding in a boat that held a couple of girls. Then Hagrid led them up stone steps to the castle grounds and to a pair of large oak doors. Having them gather in front of them and giving them one last glance, with his eyes lingering on Daniel, Hagrid knocked loudly on the castle doors.

The doors were quickly opened by a tall, black-haired woman wearing emerald-green robes and a frown. Harry remembered his studies of the Hogwarts teachers and believed that this was Professor McGonagall. This was confirmed a few seconds later when Hagrid presented them to her and she dismissed him. She led them into Hogwarts and to a small chamber just off the main hall where they crowded together. Harry could hear a large number of voices coming from large double doors off the right of the halls, the rest of the school had already arrived.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," began Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats, you will need to be sorted into your houses. The Shorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and has produced outstanding witches or wizards.

"While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."

When Professor McGonagall left, the first years were anything but waiting quietly. Many of them were panicked, wondering what test they had to do to be sorted. His brother's red-haired friend was going on about how his brothers said that they had to fight a troll. Although many weren't listening, his words were scaring most. Hermione was quickly going over everything she had ever read about magic with Neville listening like her words might be gold. Harry was also nervous about the sorting, but didn't think that magic would be used to test them as most of the first years didn't know any magic. Harry had studied most of the theory involved before coming, but it looked like Hermione was the only one who actually knew any magic. Before Harry could tell her to calm down, someone behind him screamed.

At least twenty arguing ghosts had appeared from the wall behind them. Two of them were arguing about someone named Peeves while the others were giving comments every now and then. "New students!" said a fat monk. "I hope to see you in Hufflepuff."

The doors opened and Professor McGonagall returned. "The Sorting is about to begin. Please form a line and follow me." The ghosts left and everyone got in two lines and followed her into the Great Hall. Thousands of candles lit up the large hall with four long tables in the middle were the rest of the student body sat, at the other end of the Hall, on a raised platform, sat another table with the teachers watching the first years. Above them the ceiling opened up to the stars. Behind him he heard Hermione mention to Neville more about _Hogwarts, A History_.

They stopped just before the teachers table, and Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool before them and on top of it, a ragged, pointed wizard's hat. The entire school watched as the hat started to sing about the houses; the brave Gryffindors, loyal Hufflepuffs, wise Ravenclaws, and cunning Slytherins. The school applauded as Professor McGonagall took out a scroll and called students up to try the hat. Harry just watched the teachers. At the center of the table was an old man in a large gold throne, he had long silver hair and a broken nose. Harry recognized him as Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts.

To Dumbledore's left was an empty seat for Professor McGonagall, then was a man with greasy black hair, hooked nose, and heavy black robes, next was a man in a purple turban and robes who looked extremely frightened. On Dumbledore's rights was a short man who Harry thought was Professor Flitwick, following was a dumpy witch, Professor Sprout. Next to Sprout was a beautiful red-haired witch with emerald-green eyes. Harry was captivated by her eyes and only looked away when he heard Professor McGonagall call Hermione's name.

Hermione ran eagerly to the stool and almost jammed the hat on her head. It took a minute or two to decide and then called out Ravenclaw. Smiling at her as she walked to the cheering table, Harry wondered what house he would be in. It took a while to decide on Neville, and when he ran off toward Gryffindor he almost took the Sorting Hat with him. With two of his new friends separated, Harry knew it would be difficult to keep their friendship, be vowed to try as they were his first friends. At his muggle school Harry didn't try to make any friends, maybe it had to do with being considered a nerd or the cousin of the (alleged) school bully.

Soon Professor McGonagall reached the _P_'s. "Potter, Daniel!" As his brother walked up to the stool, Harry could hear the school whisper various things. Three of the tables full of students were craning their necks to just take a look at the famous Boy-Who-Lived. Dumbledore, the black robed man, and red-headed woman were also paying close attention to Daniel. Harry watched the scared face of his brother has he was sorted. At one point his face went completely pale, but nothing happened until the hat called out, "Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table was going berserk. Dozens of students were going crazy about having the Boy-Who-Lived in their house. Harry noticed the pair of red-headed twins he saw on the platform yelling, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" The noise was so loud that Harry almost didn't hear the next name being called, "Potter, Harry!"

That entire Great Hall went dead silent. All students and teachers watched has Harry walked up to the stool. Once everyone could see him, the whispers started again. They were asking each other if he was related to Daniel, that they didn't know the Potter's had another child. Controlling his anger, Harry sat on the stool and let Professor McGonagall put the Sorting Hat on him. The last thing he saw before the hat fell over his eyes were Hermione and Neville smiling at him from the respective tables.

He could hear a small voice in his ear, whispering. "Harry Potter, the younger brother to Daniel Potter, Let's see what you're made of. Hmm, difficult, very difficult. Brilliant mind, just as good as your mother's and your friend Miss Granger. Great bravery too, and loyal to boot. Ah, your past, so that's why Daniel didn't know of you. Because of it you have a grand plan, fragile, but grand, Ollivander was correct, great things will come from you. You have a large amount of cunning, and the gift too; oh Slytherin would kill to get you into his house. It would also work with your plan. And what is this, oh; you are full of surprises aren't you? Hmm, you're the most difficult I've had to Sort in a long time. Ah, finally, I've made my choice at last. Better be…"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>**: This will probably be the last time I update for a while. I'm starting to lose interest in this story and I need time to get it back. Don't worry; I won't abandon this thing, just got to get the creative juices flowing again. Again, sorry about the poll, I took it down after the first couple of reviews saying that they couldn't vote. I've also figured out the whole James/Lily good or bad deal, thanks for all the ideas. I don't know when I'll be back, but you'll know what house Harry gets before the end of the month. Continue reading and reviewing. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Sorry about the wait, I had to reread _Sorcerer's Stone_ to get my creativity back. The break also allowed me to get my long term thoughts on this story organized as I was just winging it. Now I've got most of the major ideas/points for the story organized except for a few points in fifth thru seventh year. That will be solved as we get closer to that point. Thanks for being patient, now on with the story.

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Harry Potter, do own Daniel Potter.

* * *

><p>Harry tried to ignore the stares of his house mates as he ate his pork chops and potatoes, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. Despite the attention his neighbors gave him back at Privet Drive, Harry hated being at the center of it. It wasn't helped by the fact that most of the teachers kept sneaking glances at even minute or two; especially the red-headed teacher who looked back and forth between him and his brother. If Harry had to guess, this was his mother, she looked exactly like his aunt described. The only people who weren't looking at him were Albus Dumbledore, his brother, Neville, and Hermione. Dumbledore was just ignoring him all together, Daniel and Neville were speaking with their house mates, and Hermione was chatting with the Prefect seating next to her about classes, completely ignoring the food in front of her.<p>

Finally the brown-haired boy in front of her asked the question the entire school was wondering, but was too scared to ask, "So Harry, are related to Daniel Potter at all?" Everyone nearby suddenly turned to hear the answer and ask their own questions. Hermione, who was seated next to Harry on his left, faced away from Penelope the Prefect to answer before Harry could. "Yes Terry, he is. He's the younger Potter twin, but grew up with his muggle relatives because his family thought that he was a squib."

"How do _you_ know, Hermione?" sneered Terry.

"Because Harry told me and Neville on the train ride here. Now stop asking Harry questions about his family, and stop staring at him, he's not some animal in a zoo." And with that she went back to Penelope and Transfiguration. Everyone gave Hermione a weird look and then went back to dinner, thought they still looked in his direction every once and a while. Harry was surprised at Hermione's defense of him but was thankful that he didn't have to answer so many questions just yet.

Looking across the Great Hall, his eyes settled on Draco Malfoy, the pale, blond-haired boy he ran into at Madam Malkins who called him a mudblood. Neville had explained to Harry and Hermione that the term was a real foul insult for someone with muggle parents, like Hermione. Harry didn't like him already because of the insults, but knew that his father was a friend of the Minister of Magic, and a member of the Board of Governors, so he decided to be at least civil towards him. Malfoy was looking his way, that much Harry was able to see, but not his facial expression.

Harry was already full by the time dessert appeared, but grabbed a bit of treacle tart. Looking up at the High Table once more, he could see his mother looking his way again. He looked away and tried to figure out which unknown teachers taught what. His eyes locked with the black robed teacher when Harry suddenly felt a sharp pain in his forehead. "What is it Harry?" asked the blue-eyed, blonde haired girl seated across from him. "Nothing, just a sudden headache, probably too much food." The girl just looked at him funny before going back to her chocolate pudding.

Finally the desserts were finish and Professor Dumbledore stood up while the whole hall fell silent. "I have just a few start-of-term notices to give out before we all go to bed. First, let's all welcome Lily Potter to the staff of Hogwarts. She has agreed to help Professor Snape teach Potions and will take some of his classes. She is also available for private tutoring in other subjects for those who want it. Next, first years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well. I have also been asked by our caretaker Mr. Filch to remind you all that magic should not be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year; the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The first years followed Penelope up multiple twisting staircases as she explained about several trick ones. Up one final spiral staircase and they reached a door with no handle or keyhole but a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. "This is the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. We have no password like the other houses, but a riddle. If you answer correctly you can enter, but if you don't you have to wait for someone to come along and answer for you. That way you learn, got it?"

Penelope gave the answer and led them inside. The common room was wide a circular with arched windows along the walls with blue and bronze silk curtains. The ceiling was domed and the carpet was midnight-blue with stars. There were several bookcases along the wall with tables and chairs. In the back was a large statue of a woman Harry assumed to be Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of his house. They were shown two separate doors to the dormitories; one for the girls, the other for the boys, and went up to bed. Too tired to answer any questions from his dorm mates, Harry climbed into bed and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning Harry met Hermione in the common room. Smiling, she marked her place in the book she was reading and they walked down to breakfast together. On the way the met Neville, who had his foot stuck in one of the trick staircases Penelope had warned them about last night. They helped him and continued on their way to the Great Hall. "So Neville, tell us about your night." Hermione said as they reached the second floor.

"Percy Weasley led us to the Gryffindor common room. It has this really tricky password that I'll have trouble remembering. Before I could go to bed, Daniel and I were swarmed by the other boys with questions about you Harry. He said he didn't know anything and that you weren't his brother, but after I told him what you told us, he got mad and said that his parents would never do something like that."

"I got pretty much the same in the girls' dormitory, though they were a little relaxed about it because of what I told them at dinner. You should probably be prepared to answer all sorts of question Harry." Harry groaned at the thought of that as the entered the main hall. As they entered the Great Hall a voice called out "Potter! A word?" Harry looked and saw Draco Malfoy waiting for him. "What do you want Malfoy?"

Smirking he said, "Since you're new to the whole wizarding world, I thought that I should give you the right information, you know, who to hang out with and all. You don't want to be friends with the wrong sort of people. I could also help you get revenge against your family. I imagine you're not too happy about being abandoned and thought a squib." Surprised at Malfoy's information, Harry asked, "How do you know about that?"

"You can't keep a secret long at Hogwarts. News travels fast here. So, what do you say?" Looking at Malfoy's outstretched hand, Harry thought a bit before responding. "Look, you didn't exactly win points with me in that shop or on the train, but I understand that you were mistaken there. You also insulted my friends and I know that you hate my family. However, there is nothing between us, so we can at least act civil towards each other, but we're not friends, got it?" Malfoy just smiled at said "Smart Potter, I can act civil towards you, but no promises to your brother. Just don't get on any Slytherin's bad side." And with that, he walked off towards his table.

Shrugging, Harry went to the Ravenclaw table and pulled some porridge towards him. "Morning Harry!" came a voice. It was the blonde girl from last night; she sat in front of him and also grabbed some porridge. "My name's Lisa, Lisa Turpin. Hope you slept well after your headache last night." Harry was surprised at her enthusiasm. "Yeah. I did sleep well….Thank-you Lisa." Lisa just smiled at him as Professor Flitwick handed out their schedules.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

><p>Hermione's statement that Harry would have to answer dozens of questions was and understatement. By the end of the second day Harry had at least a hundred questions, and those were just from his house mates. The other houses were just as interested in him as his brother; both Potter twins were unknowns and stared at in the corridors. While information on Daniel was either rare or unconfirmed, info on Harry was practically nonexistent. Before and after class, dozens of people would run up to him and ask multiple questions.<p>

The classes themselves were almost exactly like his mother's letter described. Professor McGonagall was as strict as Harry expected and gave them a stern talking to in the first class. Herbology dealt with many unknown plants and fungi and they always left that class covered in dirt. Hermione was the only one able to stay completely awake in History of Magic. Harry only learned in that class by reviewing his textbook multiple times both before and after that class. Astronomy was held late at night and dealt with the placement of planets and stars. Defense Against the Dark Arts was mainly about the theory of magic where Professor Quirrell, the man with the purple turban, lectured the entire class. This was made more difficult by the fact that Quirrell stuttered every couple of words. In fact, all of the classes studied either the theory or read from the books as an introduction.

Harry's favorite class was Charms. It also helped that the charms teacher, Professor Flitwick, was also the Ravenclaw's head of house. The only bad about the class was that they shared it with the Gryffindors, and because of that, his brother. Since being revealed, his brother had avoided him and clamed continually that Harry wasn't his brother. He also noticed that his mother was avoiding him as well. Harry wasn't sure he wanted to talk to either of them just yet anyways. Potions class was the only class Harry hadn't had by the end of the week. The black robed teacher Professor Snape started class by taking role. He paused when he reached Harry's name, but didn't say anything.

After calling role, Professor Snape gave them an introduction to Potions, "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect many of you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Harry felt Hermione shift in her seat next to him. From what he knew about her, she was ready to prove that she wasn't a dunderhead. Hermione's movement must have caught Snape's eye because he suddenly looked in their direction. After looking at them for a couple of seconds Snape suddenly snapped, "Potter! What would I get if I added powered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

After thinking for a couple of second he replied. "A sleeping potion knows as the Draught of Living Death." Sneering for a few seconds he asked a new question, "Where would you look if I asked to find me a bezoar?" Harry didn't know this one and when he told Snape, his smirk grew. "And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" "They are the same plant, sir." During this entire exchange, Hermione was practically hoping in her seat, her hand raised to give the answers.

Giving them one last look Snape turned towards the class. "Apparently you have _some_ brains Potter, unlike your brother or father. You are correct about the Draught. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and will save you from most poisons. And as for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are also called aconite. Write all of this down. You may do well in this class Potter."

* * *

><p>Albus Dumbledore sat in the staff room of Hogwarts, waiting for the last teacher to arrive. It was the first Saturday after term started and it was time for the regular start-of-term progress meeting. The purpose of these meetings were to determine how the new students were adjusting to life at Hogwarts, as well as to determine progress the other students were making, like how the thirds years were doing in their new classes, and how the fifth and seventh years were preparing for their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s.<p>

Finally the last professor, Quirrell, came in and stuttered an apology before taking his seat next to Severus. "Well now" Dumbledore started out, "What first years stand out this year?" Everyone turned to Professor Flitwick as he usually started off about his Ravenclaws. "I have noticed that one of my Claws is particularly talented. Miss Hermione Granger is very knowledgeable on the basic theory of magic and has answered many difficult questions. I don't need to be a seer to see that she could be a very talented and powerful witch someday. She could even be more talented than you." He said this last part towards Lily Potter, who didn't seem to be listening.

"I too have noticed Miss Granger's talents." said Professor McGonagall. "She has a real knack for transfiguration and has the ability to memorize any fact given to her." The other teachers confirmed Miss Granger's talent as well with the most surprising coming from Professor Snape; he rarely talked about any student. Nodding at this prospective talent, Dumbledore turned the subject to one his was curious about, "What of young Daniel Potter, how is he doing?" Lily perked up at the mention of her son.

"He has a great handle of the first year magical theory, maybe even second year. He is certainly capable of performing basic transfiguration spells, though his form could use some work. He is also inattentive in class." Albus smiled as he nodded. He had suggested to James that Daniel start studying magical theory when he showed signs of accidental magic at the age of eight. According to James, Daniel was almost finished with second year when he came to Hogwarts. They planned to continue his theory education during the summer months.

Albus was interrupted from his thoughts by an outburst from Severus. "That boy is just as stupid and arrogant as his father. He is nothing special; he can't even brew a proper potion in my class." Albus just sighed. He had been hearing things like that since he had started young Daniel's training. It didn't help that part of it was true. Serverus's insults had let up a bit when he found out that Lily would be teaching with him and he hoped that he would stop insulting her son for her. He was about call off Severus when Madam Pomfrey asked, "What about his brother, Harry?"

"He is a smart lad, has a basic understanding of the theory. Probably one of the tops students, like his brother and friend Miss Granger." responded Flitwick. "He is friends with Miss Granger and Neville Longbottom, but other than them he is a loner. I think this is because of all the questions he has been asked about his family." Albus watched Lily as the other professors talked about her youngest son; her head was once again down, as if she wasn't listening. Again Snape interrupted all of the other comments, "He has some knowledge in basic potions, so I have adopted a wait-and-see approach."

The other teachers stared at Snape; this was the third time he had spoken about a student, he had never spoken this much about a student. He had even complemented a Potter, which was unheard of. Snape just ignored the stares and said, "He shows potential, more than his brother." and left it at that. Albus decided to continue the meeting and switched to talking about the third years.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter, just the character Daniel.

* * *

><p>Harry was running along the corridors trying to find the hospital wing. He and Hermione had been in the library working on homework while Neville was down with the other Gryffindors for their flying lesson. He had just finished his History essay when he heard that Neville had been injured during the lesson and was in the hospital wing, so he left Hermione to her own essay and went to visit his other friend. The only problem was that he didn't know where the hospital wing was. Pausing to take a break, he heard voices around the corner. Deciding to ask the owners of those voices for help he turned around only to be met with two ghosts.<p>

A male ghost wearing ruffs and tights was talking to a beautiful female ghost with waist-length hair and a floor-length cloak. "Have you heard; Daniel Potter has been made the new Gryffindor Seeker. I always knew that boy would do well." Turning, the ghost in ruffs saw Harry and said, "Ah Daniel, we were just talking about you. Congratulations by the way." Taking one look at Harry, the female ghost turned to her partner and said, "Sorry Nick, but I think you're mistaken. This is one of mine."

The ghost Nick took a closer look and realized his mistake. "Oh, of course, the other Potter boy, my mistake. Anyways, I must be off." And with that he floated up and though the ceiling. Turning to Harry once again the ghost said, "You'll have to excuse Nick, he came be a bit…ignorant at times. I don't think we've been properly introduced, I'm the Grey Lady, ghost of Ravenclaw Tower." She gave Harry a curtsy and was about to leave when she took yet another look at him. "Forgive me if I stare, but you look remarkably like another student I knew about fifty years ago. Kind boy too, you remind me a lot of him." Not wanting to hear about his possible grandfather, Harry asked the directions to the hospital wing and left.

Once he got to the hospital wing, Harry went immediately to Neville's bed, where he was laying as Madam Pomfrey was mending his broken arm. Seeing Harry, Neville called out, "Hey Harry, how are you doing?" Shaking his head as he walked over, Harry's response was, "I think the question is how are _you_ Neville, broken arm and all?" Seating on the bed, Harry listened to Neville explain his disastrous flying lesson where he fell off the school broom and broke his arm. Mid-way through his story Hermione came in, her History essay finally done. Afterwards they walked Neville back to Gryffindor Tower before going back to their own common room to get ready for dinner.

The next morning Neville ran up to them to tell them about what Daniel had been up to in the middle of the night. Apparently Daniel and his friend Ron Weasley had arranged a wizard's duel in the trophy room with Draco Malfoy. Malfoy was a no-show and instead had warned Filch who had almost caught them. They had only escaped by running into the forbidden third-floor corridor. There they had found a giant three-headed dog standing on a trapdoor. Both Daniel and Ron were curious about what was underneath that door, but Neville wasn't. He just thought he'd better tell Harry what his brother was up to.

While Hermione ranted about being out late at night and not being caught, Harry thought about the three-headed dog. According to _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, Cerberuses were rare beasts native to Greece were their wizards used them to guard treasure. Obviously, whatever was under the trapdoor was either really valuable, dangerous, or both. He also saw the reason Professor Dumbledore warned everyone to stay away from the third floor; Cerberuses were particularly vicious to anyone who was not their owner or someone they trusted.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted when six large owls flew into the Great Hall carrying a long, thin package. The owls flew immediately towards Daniel who retreated from the Great Hall carrying his new package. Harry knew what it was, the ghost's conversation from yesterday coming to the front of his mind. Obviously Daniel had gotten special permission to be allowed a broomstick and a place on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He tried to not let anger consume him as he thought this and was saved as Hermione asked him a question.

For the next couple of weeks Neville kept Harry and Hermione updated with the workings of Daniel and Ron while they studied in the library. So far they had no luck with figuring out what the dog was guarding, and Neville wanted no part in their search. As the days went on, the professors at Hogwarts slowly moved the first years out the theory portion of their classwork and into the practical. Hermione was always the first to get the new spells, but Harry noticed that his spell work was a little more powerful than hers. Neville also told them about Daniel's Quidditch practice three times a week, even though the rest of Gryffindor wanted to keep it a secret. Somehow, even with Daniels busy schedule, his grades didn't suffer even though he never studied.

On Halloween Professor Flitwick decided that they were ready to try a levitating spell, _Wingardium Leviosa_. Harry always paired with Neville in this class because he knew of his disastrous spell work. Hermione was working with Lisa Turpin in front of them, next to Daniel and Ron. Neville set fire to the feather they were supposed to be levitating, but that was more than Daniel and Ron, who couldn't get their feather to do anything. Hermione finally took pity on them and tried to help them out, only to get snapped at by them, leaving her close to tears.

On the way out, Harry heard Ron mimicking Hermione and say very loudly, "She's a nightmare, honestly. It's a wonder she actually has friends." Harry saw Hermione burst out of the classroom, crying. Too angry to say anything, Harry pursued her to a girl's bathroom and tried to get her to come out, but wasn't very successful as he couldn't go in. He tried between every class but gave up right before dinner when she yelled at him that she wanted to be alone. Sad, Harry made his way, lonely, up to the Great Hall for the Halloween Feast.

Harry wasn't enjoying himself very much when Professor Quirrell sprinted into the hall, up to Dumbledore's chair and managed to say "Troll-in the dungeons-thought you ought to know." before fainting. The mass panic was only stopped by Professor Dumbledore who told the prefects to take everyone back to their common room while the teachers searched for the troll. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Daniel and Ron sneak away from the other Gryffindors, which reminded Harry of Hermione. Also managing to sneak away, he proceeded to run all the way to the girl's bathroom and burst in.

Before Hermione could even ask why Harry was in a girl's bathroom he explained the situation to her. Pale, they turned to flee only to meet with a grey, twelve foot troll. It raised its club to attack them and Hermione screamed. Harry managed to get them away from the club as it came down just as Ron and Daniel came into the bathroom, firing basic jinxes. Faced with multiple targets and annoying spells, the troll grew angry and started to swing wildly. Getting an idea, Harry took out his wand and cast the _Wingardium Leviosa_ spell at the club and then released it on the troll's head.

The troll smashed loudly onto the floor. Daniel glared at Harry and yelled, "I had it right where I want it! If you hadn't messed up, I would have killed it myself!" Before Harry could respond that his and Ron's spells weren't doing anything, Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell came in, McGonagall looking furious. "Explain yourselves at once!" she demanded. Daniel and Ron then went into a long winded story of how they saw Harry and Hermione sneak away from the feast to look for the troll, so they followed. They had burst into the bathroom to see the troll cornering Harry and Hermione and used the troll's own club to knock it out.

Professor McGonagall accepted this story as true and wouldn't listen to Hermione's attempts to explain as both she and Harry were in the back of the bathroom with the troll between them and the door and Daniel and Ron next to the door. She subtracted five points for all four of them for being out of the common rooms when Professor Dumbledore told them to go back, but gave ten points each to Daniel and Ron for saving fellow students. They were then sent back to their common rooms to continue the Halloween Feast. Hermione was ranting about honest teachers believing outright lies and ignorant prats the entire time back to Ravenclaw Tower. Before they left the bathroom, Harry could've sworn he heard Professor Snape whisper 'Ten points to Ravenclaw', but couldn't be sure.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I'm really happy with a lot of the reviews I'm receiving, thanks everyone. I'm also surprised at how fast this story is going so I'm already planning ahead for my next story. One thing everyone could do to help is give me some questions that you want answered for the current year that can be answered in the chapters, and continue it for the entire story. Here are a few things that I can reveal though; Lily's story will be revealed at the end of the year, I'm still working on some of the wording. Harry/Hermione won't happen until fifth year as it seems a bit more real to me. Once again, most of the major points have been figured for the years except for just a few things for latter. Keep reviewing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **As you all know, I do not own Harry Potter, only this story and Daniel.

* * *

><p>The morning of November Forth, Harry ate breakfast slowly, thinking over all that had happened since coming to Hogwarts. So far he had been ignored by his family, badgered by the school, and only had Neville and Hermione as friends. He had at least been expected to be confronted by either his mother or father, but he hadn't seen his father since platform nine-and-three-quarters and his mother he only saw at meals. Neither had attempted to communicate with him in the two months he had been at Hogwarts.<p>

Speaking of his mother, Neville had told him and Hermione how Gryffindor Tower had watched Lily Potter heavily scold Daniel for trying to take on the troll himself. Although she hadn't subtracted any points from him, the rumors were that he and Ron were in detention until they graduated and Daniel was grounded for life. Professor Snape however had turned nasty towards them, which was fine with Neville as he was usually Snape's target during Gryffindor potions.

Today was the first Quidditch match of the year; Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Looking over at the Gryffindor table, Harry saw his brother wasn't looking too good, most likely the nerves, but it could also be the Slytherin's teasing and taunting. Seeking for a way to get back on the points Daniel won on Halloween, Harry at let slip to Draco Malfoy that Daniel was the new Gryffindor Seeker, which prompted the Slytherins to intimidate Daniel, hoping to affect his playing ability. Apparently, it was working.

Harry sat in the Ravenclaw side of the stands, watching all of the other students. Quidditch was very popular at Hogwarts, and as this was the first match, nearly everyone was here. The only people not at the pitch were a couple of teachers like Albus Dumbledore and a few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs either not interested in Quidditch or those not interested in games where their team didn't play. Using binoculars he brought to the game, Harry saw Neville seating with Ron and his other dorm mates. They had made a large banner that said Potter for President with a large lion underneath.

Just then the plays walked out onto the field. Looking towards the scarlet player, Harry could easily identify his brother as the shortest player, just behind the Gryffindor Captain and Keeper, Oliver Wood. On the other side was the green Slytherins, led by Marcus Flint. The two teams stopped halfway across the field, meeting Madam Hooch, the flying instructor and Quidditch referee. She spoke to them briefly before they mounted their brooms. At her whistle they flew off and the game began.

The game was certainly interesting, despite the fact that the commentator, Lee Jordan, was biased. The Gryffindor Chasers were clearly better than their Slytherin counterparts, and the Weasley twins were more than a match for anything that flew out there, player or not. Gryffindor was ahead, but not by much; Slytherin played dirty, but the line between dirty playing and cheating was thin. The Keepers were doing their best, but Harry knew that the match would be decided by the Seekers, like most games. Slytherin's Seeker was larger than Daniel but had more experience, while Daniel was smaller and had a better broom.

Fifteen minutes into the game and the score was one hundred and ten to sixty, with Gryffindor winning. Harry watched as Angelina Johnson made a score off of a penalty where Flint attempted to knock Daniel off his broom. Suddenly he heard Hermione scream next to him, "Harry! Look at Daniel!" High above the stadium, Daniel's broom was bucking about, trying to get him off. Hermione's scream alerted everyone around her and soon the entire stadium was looking up at Daniel.

As Harry watched his brother hang on for his life, he remembered his DADA essay about curses. Knowing what was happening to Daniel's broom was most likely a dark curse; he started to scan the crowd, looking for the caster. On the other side of the stadium, Ron was doing the same with Hagrid's binoculars. He immediately found the teacher's stand and focused on Snape who was muttering under his breath. "It's Snape. He's jinxing Daniel's broom." he told Seamus and Dean. Harry also saw Snape's muttering, but also saw Quirrell focusing heavily on Daniel.

The game was effectively on hold while everyone watched Daniel, but that didn't stop Marcus Flint from making a few goals. The Weasley twins tried to rescue Daniel, but his broom would move away before they could get too close. Finally they dropped beneath him, trying to catch him if he fell. Both Harry and Ron watched Snape as his muttering got more and more frantic. At last Daniel could hold on no longer and let go of his broom. George Weasley managed to catch him and pull him onto his broom as the Slytherins gave a loud cheer.

While everyone was distracted by Daniel and his rogue broom, the Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had caught the Golden Snitch. The final score was Slytherin two hundred and thirty, Gryffindor one hundred and twenty. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw gave a loud groan at Slytherin's win, they had all been hoping for the fall of Slytherin, provided by the Boy-Who-Lived. Only Harry didn't show any emotion. He too had been hoping for a Slytherin win to embarrass Daniel, but was upset that the only reason they won was because Daniel's broom was jinxed.

The next morning Neville came up to them at the Ravenclaw table. "I overheard Ron and Daniel talking about that dog again. They were down at Hagrid's after the game and he told them that he owned it and that its name is Fluffy." Harry just shook his head; leave it to Hagrid to name a Cerberus Fluffy. "There's more. He also told them that whatever it's guarding was almost stolen from Gringotts during the summer and that it belongs to a Nicholas Flamel." They were shocked at the Gringotts part; no one was supposed to be able to break in to it. "They also think that whatever it is, Professor Snape is trying to steal it."

"Nonsense, Snape is a Hogwarts teacher. He would never try something like that." That came from Hermione. Neville just looked at her, back over to the Gryffindor table, and back again then whispered, "They have some really good evidence though. On Halloween they saw him head towards the third-floor corridor instead of looking for that troll. He also almost got his leg bit off by that dog too." Harry remembered Halloween, and now some things made sense. Ron and Daniel had left before him, yet he had found Hermione and the troll first, and Snape had been limping for the past few days as well; right after Halloween. "They also think that Snape tried to kill Daniel during the Quidditch match. They're even claiming that you can back them up Harry. Ron saw you looking towards the teacher's stand." Harry just shook his head again at his brother and his friend's foolishness. Leave it to them to think that the teacher they hate most was trying to kill one of them publicly.

For the rest of the term Neville kept Harry and Hermione updated with Daniel and Ron's activities. They had been researching in the library a lot ever since the Quidditch match. Harry knew that they were looking for information of Nicholas Flamel to find out what Snape was trying to steal. Hermione was also looking, but that was just because she had to know who Flamel was and wouldn't rest until she did.

Although he hadn't been expecting it, Malfoy had rewarded him for his info on Daniel by inviting him to Malfoy Manor for the winter holidays. Harry, surprised and thankful, turned him down however. Harry had heard from Penelope the Prefect that Hogwarts was amazing during the holidays and had decided to see for himself. That, and part of the deal he made with the Dursleys was that he would stay at Hogwarts for the winter holidays. Both Neville and Hermione had also invited him, but he had turned them down as well.

Christmas morning Harry awoke wondering how the Dursleys would be able to get anything to him at Hogwarts. Seeing Hedwig seating at the foot of his bed with three presents answered that question. Petting Hedwig he opened his present from the Dursleys which was what he asked for; a book on Greek and Roman Mythology which included a story of Cerberuses. Hermione got him a box of Chocolate Frogs while Neville got him Sugar Quills. Smiling at the thoughts of his friends, Harry went down to breakfast. Later that night Harry opened his pack of Chocolate Frogs for a snack. Looking at his first card, Harry got a shock. On the card labeled _Albus Dumbledore_, was the name Nicholas Flamel.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I thought about adding the Mirror of Erised, but I couldn't figure out how to put it in. I may add it later though. I do want to say one thing, please don't put any major rants in the reviews, while I appreciate some of your suggestions, please don't tell me how to do my story. Thank-you.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** Let's get this out of the way; I don't own any part of this story except Daniel Potter, nor do I own Harry Potter itself.

* * *

><p>When Neville and Hermione returned from break, Harry wasted no time in showing them what he had found. Using this information it didn't take Hermione long (five minutes) to figure out what Fluffy was guarding; the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary stone that was supposed to produce the Elixir of Life, making the drinker immortal and able to turn any metal into solid gold and was the highest pursuit in Alchemy. They also managed to figure out from Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog Card that Nicholas Flamel must have asked his old friend to protect his stone for him.<p>

After this find things went back to normal for the trio, with Neville still reporting Ron and Daniel's nonexistent progress into finding out who Nicholas Flamel was; Harry didn't see the need to educate his twin. The only exciting thing came in mid-March, when Neville informed them that Daniel and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team was complaining about Professor Snape's desire to referee the next Gryffindor match against Hufflepuff.

The Hufflepuff team was semi-excited about this news because they knew that Snape would favor them leading to an easier win, but bitter by the fact that it wasn't fair play. Ravenclaw was also excited because if Gryffindor won Ravenclaw would be moved into third place for the Quidditch Cup, and they wanted to win this year.

Once again Harry sat in the Ravenclaw stands to watch Gryffindor play. Although there were less people than the Gryffindor-Slytherin match, he could spot the headmaster in the teacher's stands, waiting for the game to start. Once it did start, Snape made clear that he didn't want Gryffindor to win, handing out penalties like candy on Halloween, although Harry had to agree when Fred Weasley hit a Bludger straight at Snape's face. The game was over however in just over five minutes when Daniel caught the Snitch from quite literally under Snape's nose.

Once again Neville had news on Daniel the morning after. Apparently after the game he had followed Snape into the Forbidden Forest and spied on a meeting he had with Quirrell. Daniel and Ron had found out about Flamel a couple of days before the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match and knew about the Stone. The meeting was, according to Daniel, about how Snape was trying to convince Quirrell to help him steal the stone, or tell him how to get past his enchantments. Like Daniel and Ron, Neville was convinced that Snape was after the Stone, but Harry wasn't too sure. While he didn't completely trust Snape, he suspected something was off with Quirrell.

By mid-April the teachers had assigned mountains of homework in preparation for the end-of-the-year exams, just ten weeks away. Harry and Hermione were some of the small handful of first year students already starting their studies. While Hermione was cramming like crazy, Harry was slowly studying bit-by-bit. They were going over Herbology notes with Neville one day when they saw something unusual; Hagrid in the Library.

He was talking with Ron and Daniel a few feet away and was attempting to hide something behind his back. Curious, Harry wanted until Hagrid left and Ron returned from investigating the section he was in before sneaking over and eavesdropping. What he heard, he didn't like. Hagrid had been in the dragon section of the library, and Daniel had said that Hagrid had always wanted a dragon. Filled with fear, Harry returned to his table to report and think about what he had heard.

Neville later confirmed Harry's fears; somehow, Hagrid had gotten a dragon egg and was attempting to hatch a real, live, fire-breathing dragon in his wooden hut. Immediately they ran off and told Professor Flitwick who told them he would investigate. A couple of mornings later Harry, Hermione, and Neville were awarded fifty points each for alerting a professor of a potentially dangerous creature on school grounds. Hagrid had indeed gotten a dragon egg, a Norwegian Ridgeback, and had almost hatched it in his hut. Luckily, Professors Flitwick and Dumbledore had discovered the dragon egg and sent it away. Hagrid was placed on probation and Ron and Daniel were given a weeks' worth of detention and another scolding by Lily Potter for attempting to conceal the egg.

Harry was pleased at his small revenge against his brother, and vowed to do it again when the opportunity presented itself. Harry and Hermione were also heroes of Ravenclaw for gaining them one hundred points in one go and for putting Ravenclaw in the lead for the House Cup. Because of them, Ravenclaw was now the favorite to win, beating Slytherin and their six year winning streak. This also earned the anger of Daniel Potter who vowed revenge against Harry and his friends. This only pushed Harry further into his studies to beat Daniel again and become the top ranked student of his year.

When exams came, Harry was ready for them. They used Anti-Cheating Quill for their written exams in which Harry thought he did well, but where he really excelled was in the practical portion of the exams. During the entire week, Harry had a stabbing headache that distracted him heavily and made studying difficult. Finally, on Friday, they were finished with their exams with History of Magic being the last one.

Once they were done Harry and Hermione headed outside while Neville ran up to Gryffindor Tower to drop off his bags before joining them. Relaxing under a tree near the lake, Hermione decided to go over their exam questions. Managing to talk her out of it, Harry instead looked around the grounds, watching other students celebrate the end of exams. Suddenly, Neville ran up to them out of breath.

"Harry, your brother plans to go down the trapdoor tonight." "WHAT?" Hermione shrieked, "Doesn't he know that's dangerous? There's supposed to be other, really strong enchantments protecting the stone. And what about Fluffy, he doesn't know how to get past him." Shaking his head Neville said, "Hagrid told them. They were discussing the dragon again and Hagrid told them how he got the dragon. Some stranger had the egg in his pocket and Hagrid told him about Fluffy to get it. They think Snape is after it for You-Know-Who."

Since hearing that name when he was first introduced to the Wizarding World, Harry got a shiver up his spine every time he heard it. He had tried to find out the dark wizard's real name, but no textbook had it, apparently still scared to say it even ten years after his death. Standing up, Harry said "We'll tell Professor McGonagall. She'll stop them."

McGonagall, however, was useless. Before they had decided to go down the trapdoor, Daniel and Ron had tried to warn her that someone was going to try and steal the Sorcerer's Stone. She told Harry the same thing she told Daniel, the stone was heavily guarded and was impossible to steal. She then dismissed them, not wanting to hear any more on the Stone.

"We'll have to stop them ourselves. Neville, you wait in the common room for Ron and Daniel to come down. Once they leave, meet me and Hermione outside Gryffindor Tower and together, we'll go to the third-floor corridor and prevent them from going past Fluffy." Nodding at Harry's plan, both Neville and Hermione left to prepare for that night. What Harry hadn't told them was that he also planned to go after the Stone. He knew that his brother wouldn't give up and so, Harry prepared to get through every enchantment, just to get to the Stone.

* * *

><p><strong>Finally we're reaching the end of the first year, so only one or two more chapters to go for this year. You'll also find out what my plans are for Lily at that point, so prepare. I will start adding some of my own things in second year as well, just to change things up a bit. Keep reviewing. <strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Start the countdown, just three more weeks until the release of the last Harry Potter movie, I'm so excited!. Now, on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: As you all know, I do not own Harry Potter, just his brother Daniel. **

* * *

><p>That night found Harry and Hermione hidden in the shadows near Gryffindor Tower. They had been waiting here since just a couple of minutes after dinner. Harry though that his brother would wait until late to go to the third floor, but he wasn't taking any chances. During dinner he had watched the teachers' table; Professor Dumbledore was absent and Professors McGonagall and Snape were acting normally. Although Harry didn't want to believe Daniel's suspicions on Snape, he had to admit that there was some evidence against him, but he wouldn't believe it was Snape after the Stone until he saw it with his own eyes. The only Professor to act differently was Professor Quirrell, who was even more nervous than usual and had eaten dinner very quickly.<p>

After waiting for what felt days, the door to the common room opened. Harry gripped Hermione's shoulder to tell her to get ready, but no one was there. The door stayed open for a couple of seconds, but then closed of its own accord, like someone had thought to leave, but changed their mind at the last second. Slightly angry at this false alarm, Harry relaxed and started to watch the portrait again.

Thirty seconds after it first opened and closed the door opened again and Neville slowly climbed out. Confused, Harry and Hermione snuck over to Neville for an explanation. "Your brother's got an invisibility cloak," whispered Neville, "He just left." Harry groaned, that cloak gave Daniel an advantage, while Harry would have to sneak about, trying to remain unseen, Daniel didn't have to worry about that. Daniel would easily beat them to the third floor. Not wanting to waste any more time, Harry summoned his friends off.

It took twice as long to get to the third-floor corridor, but luckily they ran into no one. They got there just in time to hear a badly played flute stop and a dog's growls start up. Peaking in, Harry got his first look at Fluffy. There he stood in all his glory with the trapdoor open at his feet along with a silver cloak and a golden harp. Realizing that his brother just jumped down, Harry started humming a tune. Although it wasn't enough to put Fluffy to sleep, his eyes start to droop. He quickly motioned Neville and Hermione to go down the opening, not stopping his humming until he too jumped down the hole.

Harry felt like he was falling forever until he landed on something soft. Looking around he saw Ron, Daniel, Neville and Hermione all tied up by a dark green plant. Immediately Harry started struggling as the plant tried to tie him up too until Neville called out, "Stop! If you keep struggling it will only kill you faster, its Devil's Snare." At once Harry and Hermione stopped moving, remembering their Herbology lesson. It took Ron and Daniel a couple of seconds but they too froze. Thinking it had killed them, the Devil's Snape let go and dropped all five of them to the ground.

Once he was standing, Daniel rounded on the three of them. "What in the bloody blazes are you doing here?"

Standing and glaring back at his brother, Harry's response was, "Trying to stop you from going after the Sorcerer's Stone."

Pale, Ron asked, "How did you guys know about that?"

"You guys weren't exactly secretive you know," Hermione said. "We figured it out from all the clues you were whispering about, and we found out about Flamel before you did."

"Big deal, now go back. This is dangerous work and we can't have you getting in our way."

"If it's so dangerous dear brother, then why are you going after it?"

"First off, I am not your brother. And second, I am the Chosen One, the one prophesized to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Harry huffed. "Some Chosen One, not even able to say his name. Well, whether you like it or not, we will accompany you." And with that he walked down the stone passage way. Neville and Hermione went after him, closely followed by a still angry Ron Daniel. At first they heard nothing, but then there was a clinking and rustling of wings ahead of them. Running, they reached a large chamber that held dozens of birds and a large wooden door locked with a powerful charm.

"They're not birds, they're keys!" shouted Daniel. He looked around the room and saw a broom leaning up against the wall. Running towards the broom, Daniel grabbed it and leaped on and was immediately swarmed by more than half of the keys. Screaming, Daniel tried swatting away the keys, and when they didn't work, he just flew away from them as fast as he could.

Shaking his head at his brother's foolishness, Harry look carefully at the door's handle, than at the keys not attacking Daniel, no doubt one of them was the correct key. Finding it wasn't hard as it already had a broken wing. Pointing it out to Daniel, who rushed after it, Harry watched him chaise it all over the chamber. He finally caught a couple of minutes later and threw it down to Ron who opened the door, allowing them to proceed.

What was on the other side of the door nearly made Harry's heart stop; a giant chess board. Ron was apparently in his element; he walked right up to one of the black knights and took his place in the game. The others joined at Ron's command, Harry and Neville as the bishops, Hermione as a castle, and Daniel as the king. The game was brutal. Although Ron didn't want them, he protected them to the best of his ability, which was difficult as he had five pieces to protect instead of just one.

Despite his best efforts however, Neville was taken by one of the white pieces. Harry got revenge for him just two turns later; no one hurt one of his friends. The white queen was too good however, and in order to win, Ron was forced to sacrifice himself, allowing Harry to checkmate the white king. Dragging the unconscious Ron and Neville off to one side, Daniel glared at Harry, as if it was his fault that his friend was hurt. Ignoring him, Harry just continued on to the Stone.

The next chamber nearly made Harry faint with the horrible smell coming from it. The chamber was small and held an enormous troll, twice as large as the one from Halloween. It was dead with a large bloody lump on its head and blood dripping down its face. The trio couldn't leave the troll's chamber fast enough. As they were leaving Daniel counted on his fingers, "Sprout, Flitwick, and McGonagall, that was Quirrell's, so that just leaves Snape's." Harry froze; Quirrell had been the one to find the troll on Halloween. Something was not right here.

Snape's challenge was a riddle, seven bottles; three poisons, two wines, one to allow someone forward, and a final one to go back. Both ways were blocked by fire, making movement impossible either way without solving the riddle. Hermione, however, was extremely logical, and had the riddle figured in no time flat. The smallest bottle, the one that would allow them forward, held barely enough to allow two people forward. Harry decided to continue with his twin, much to Hermione's discomfort.

"Harry, please be careful, You-Know-Who might be there. You're a really great wizard you know."

"What about you?"

"Books and cleverness, but there are more important things like bravery and friendship. Just please be _careful_." she begged, hugging him tightly, before she drank her bottle and left the chamber the way they came. The two Potter twins looked at each other before downing their bottle and going forward.

The last chamber wasn't large, but round with a lowered center. In the middle was a large mirror at least twice a tall as Harry, and in front of it was man they couldn't see. "Freeze Snape!" shouted Daniel. The man turned around. It wasn't Snape but Quirrell, and he was smiling. Harry knew what he had guessed was unfortunately right.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry to end it there, but I tried to type this and the next chapter into one but it was too long, so I had cut it somewhere and this just seemed like the best spot. Next chapter finishes up the Stone challenge and first year. After this, I will be creating some of my own things, so watch out. <strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Here we go the last chapter in Harry's first year. Much will be explained here, and more questions will be created. I hope you all enjoy this as something major to the plot will be explained; let's see who can guess at it. I do not own Harry Potter. **

* * *

><p>"Yes, Snape does seem to be the type to steal the stone doesn't he? But next him, who would suspect poor stuttering Professor Quirrell?" He wasn't stuttering at all except for when he was mimicking himself. "It was so useful to have him swooping about the castle, even making himself unpopular by wanting to referee your Quidditch match to save you. It certainly threw suspicion off of me though."<p>

"But Snape tried to kill me at the Quidditch match," Daniel continued to argue. Harry just shook his head at his brother's stupidity. He had seen both Snape and Quirrell concentrating on Daniel when his broom lost control. Obviously Snape had been trying to save Daniel. Quirrell confirmed this. "No, _I_ tried to kill you. You're just lucky that the Weasley twins were able to save you. Though I am lucky that you brought your brother with you tonight, now I can finish what my master started all those years ago."

Snapping his fingers, ropes appeared out of nowhere, rapping themselves around them as Daniel once more protested about Harry being his brother. Still smiling Quirrell responded, "Oh no. He _is_ your brother. That Halloween night my master attacked your family, there were two babies in that crib. You two looked so much alike that my master didn't know which one of you defeated him until Dumbledore made his announcement." And with that he turned to the mirror behind him.

Smirking at finally proving Daniel wrong, Harry refrained from saying 'I told you so' to focus on the mirror in front of them. It was magnificent mirror, tall, had a gold frame, and stood on two clawed feet. At the top was an inscription that read _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_. Looking closely Harry figured out what it really said after a couple of minutes, _I show not your face, but your heart's desire_. Quirrell however, didn't know this as he was asking what the mirror did.

"Use the boys." This voice seemed to come from Quirrell, but he didn't speak. It was high, cold, and cruel, and Harry had a funny feeling that he had heard it before. "Come here Potter!" Quirrell released Daniel from his bindings and pulled him in front of the mirror. "Now, tell me what you see."

Daniel looked closely and replied quietly, "I'm surrounded by my parents and Dumbledore; they're congratulating me on my victory." Angry, Quirrell threw Daniel aside and called Harry up. When he looked he saw his Aunt, Uncle, cousin, parents, and Daniel standing around him, smiling and clapping. He however, focused on trying to find the stone before Quirrell. The Daniel in the mirror suddenly reached into his pocket and handed mirror Harry a blood red stone, which he put into his pocket. As he did, Harry felt the real stone in his real pocket.

Quirrell was still waiting for an answer so Harry told him about what he first saw. Angry again, Quirrell threw him like his brother. Looking at Daniel, Harry motioned that they should run. Daniel nodded and they got up and only took a few steps before they heard the voice again. "Let me speak to them Quirrell. I must look into the eyes of the one that defeated me."

Slowly, Quirrell turned so that the back of his head faced the two boys and started to unwrap his turban. Underneath it was the scariest face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with blood red eyes and slits for a nose. This was the face that had tried to kill him and his brother ten years ago on Halloween. This was the face of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

"Daniel Potter," it said in the cold voice, "We meet again. See what I have become; see what I must do to survive. I only have form when I can share the body of another; there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds. Unicorn blood has strengthened me these past few weeks, faithful Quirrell has been drinking the blood for me, yet it can't give me a body of my own. But there is something that can, something that lies conveniently in your pocket Harry Potter."

He knew that he had the stone. "Give me the stone Harry, and I can help you. You are destined for greatness and I can help you. I just need something in return."

"Don't give it to him Harry!" Daniel's shout brought Harry out of the spell that was You-Know-Who's words. He laughed at Daniel's words. "Why should he listen to you? You, who are the reminder of all that has happened to him. Your parents abandoned him after my attack and he has grown hateful. I can help him gain what he truly wants." While You-Know-Who was distracted by Daniel, Harry realized what he saw in the mirror, to be accepted by his family. While his family had abandoned him, this monster had tried to kill them, and was responsible for the deaths of so many others; he wasn't going to give him the stone.

"I'll never join you! Go to Hell!" The wizard turned back to Harry. "Fool! I could have given you power and greatness beyond your wildest dreams! Now suffer the wrath of Lord Voldemort!" There it was, the name Harry had been hunting for; Lord Voldemort. When he heard it, he felt a chill creep up his spine, but also felt something like a great weight off of his shoulders. This Lord Voldemort would fall.

Quirrell turned and raised his hand to cast a deadly curse, but Harry and Daniel charged him and the same time. Caught off guard, Quirrell hesitated and that allowed both boys to grab him and force him to the ground. Quirrell screamed and Harry thought they might have gotten him when he smelled something burning. It was Quirrell. The screams continued, and they with the headache Harry was getting caused him to lose conciseness.

Harry awoke on a comfortable bed to voices in the background. They sounded like his brother's, and there was Professor Dumbledore's. He sat up and at once the Med-witch Madam Pomfrey was at his side. She fussed over him and forced potions down before he could say anything. The voices faded away as the two walked away from the Hospital Wing. Hermione came in a few minutes later and explained everything. She had run into Professor Dumbledore outside the third-floor corridor and he had rushed down to the Stone Chamber. He had come in to Daniel standing over a dead Quirrell and unconscious Harry. Daniel explained that the five of them had tried to prevent Professor Quirrell from stealing the Stone and that Harry had collapsed during the effort. Daniel was hailed as a hero and the Stone was destroyed.

Harry thought about what had happened down in the dungeons. He felt that both he and Daniel should be rewarded but there was nothing to do about it right now. Hermione also told him that he had been out for three days and during that time Ravenclaw had beat Gryffindor in Quidditch and won both the Quidditch and House Cups. Both of them were pleased with this and waited for Harry to be dismissed from the Hospital Wing. Neville also came to visit. He and Ron had been revived not long after the end of the game and had gone with Hermione to try and warn Dumbledore, only to run into him.

Together, the three walked down to the Great Hall which was decorated in bronze and blue to celebrate the victory of Ravenclaw, Slytherin finally losing after six years. Dumbledore stood, "Another year gone, and before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast, the House Cup needs awarding. However, resent events must be taken into account. First, to Mr. Neville Longbottom, for his cool thinking while others were in peril, I award Gryffindor House twenty points. Second, to Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best game of chess this school has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor House twenty points. Third, to Miss Hermione Granger, for an excellent use of logic in the face of fire, I award Ravenclaw House twenty points. Finally, to Mr. Daniel Potter, for outstanding calmness in the face of danger, pure nerve, and absolute bravery, I award Gryffindor House fifty points.

Harry felt a lead weight in his stomach. Dumbledore's points had given Gryffindor the lead and the House Cup. The Ravenclaw table was shocked while the Gryffindor table cheered loudly. The bronze and blue decorations turned red and gold while Professor Flitwick was sadly shaking Professor McGonagall's hand. Both Harry and Hermione were completely down, Harry more so because Dumbledore hadn't awarded him any points for his part in the rescue of the Sorcerer's Stone.

The next day while they were packing, exam results came and Harry wasn't surprised to find out that he had passed everything with flying colors. What he was surprised to see was that he was ranked second, behind Hermione, who's Transfiguration and Charms scores were slightly higher than Harry's putting her in the top spot. He jokingly told Hermione to watch out, because he would take the top spot from her next year, while she joked not on his life. Laughing, they boarded the train home.

When they arrived, both Hermione and Neville dragged Harry over to meet their families, Dan and Jean Granger for Hermione and Augusta Longbottom for Neville. All three were pleased to meet their child's friends. After promising to write Neville and Hermione, as well as providing the Dursley's phone number, Harry went out into Kings Cross Station to see Uncle Vernon waiting for him. He put Harry's trunk into the boot of his car and they drove home to Privet Drive.

On the continent, a shade fled the northern shores back to its hiding place in Albania. While doing so, it though about two different nights; one ten years ago, the other only a couple of days. That night of his attack, he had stunned the father as he hadn't wanted to spill pureblood, and had spared the mother as a favor to one of his Death Eaters; the two boys however, had to die. When he had burst into the room the boys were exactly alike, so alike he didn't know which one he had thrown the killing curse at because he thought it didn't matter. Oh, how wrong he was.

He didn't learn which one had been dubbed the Boy-Who-Lived until years later when Quirrell had found him. Like the rest of the Wizarding World, he believed the one he tried to kill that night was Daniel, until he looked into their eyes. Before launching his curse, he saw both sets of eyes were the same; hazel. But after the curse backfired, he saw the eyes of the one he tried to kill; they had turned as green and the curse that had tried to claim his life. Now he knew which boy was the true Boy-Who-Lived. That fool Dumbledore had been wrong. He would retreat for now, and plot the death of Harry James Potter.

Up in his office in a hidden castle in Scotland, another being thought about the two Potter boys. Since Harry's arrival here at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore had been very confused about the boy. When he had first arrived on the scene to find both parents unconscious and both boys bawling with cuts on their faces, Dumbledore knew one of them had to be the one spoken of in the prophesy.

He had checked both boys' scars and magical cores. Both scars showed signs of light and dark magic, their cores were different. Checking the magical cores of a baby is an imprecise science, and not very accurate, as was shown this year. Daniel's was halfway depleted, while Harry's was nonexistent. Using this, Dumbledore declared Daniel the Boy-Who-Lived while Harry was a squib. The true test to determine if Harry was a squib would have to take place at an older age as magic starts showing around the ages of six or seven. Harry was with muggles then, so it was not possible to test, nor did he think to.

When he had first told them about Harry being a squib, both parents were heartbroken. Dumbledore explained that it was best for Harry to grow up away and unknowing of the wizarding world because of his lack of magic. Both had argued, but after Dumbledore explained that Harry wouldn't be able to defend himself without magic, James had readily agreed. Lily however, continued to protest, claiming that she could protect Harry just fine. She could not see that she couldn't protect Harry all of the time and that he needed to be able to protect himself.

Lily continued to be as stubborn as she was in her school days, not listening to him or James. Finally, Dumbledore had asked James permission to use a combination of spells and potions to get Lily to give Harry up. He had reluctantly agreed. Using various potions and the Imperious and Confundus spells, Dumbledore got Lily to give Harry to the Dursleys, and had later Obliviated her of all memory of Harry. Unfortunately, this left Lily quite confused when Harry showed up. He looked like Daniel and she had no memory of giving birth to another child.

He knew that Lily had most likely interrogated James during the winter holidays and felt sorry for his former pupil for having to face something like that. Interestingly enough, she had continued to ignore Harry when she got back, most likely still confused. He was not looking forward to the time when everything was out in the open; Lily's temper was more frightening than a mother dragon's.

Daniel had not known about Harry as well, that meant that James hadn't told him about Harry, probably ashamed that he had to give up his son. Mostly likely the loss of Harry had led James to spoil Daniel. Now the boy knew about his lost brother after denying that he was the entire year; that had to be hard to swallow. He knew that with Harry in the Wizarding World, that James and Lily would try to get Harry back. No doubt the boy was angry with his parents for supposedly abandoning him. The boy was smart and very powerful; the reports from his teachers had said as much, he couldn't allow Harry to join Voldemort. Daniel had told him that Harry was almost swayed by Voldemort's offer. If Harry joined Voldemort, Daniel would be overwhelmed and the light would lose, and Dumbledore could not allow that to happen.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you liked it, because it may be awhile before I update again, sorry. Arthur Hawkwing 1, you can stop your reviews now.<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**I want to clear some things up because of some of the reviews. First, remember this are eleven year olds, they aren't as smart as young adults so they wouldn't think as well, even if they were in Ravenclaw (apologies to any eleven year old readers). Also, they did go to a teacher, they went to McGonagall first because she's Daniel's head of house and would be better to stop him, after one teacher dismissed them, do you think they would go to another. Second, Harry went after Daniel because, even though he grew up apart from him, he still has some sort of twin connection. Third, Lily's love protection will be explained later. We also won't see much of her until third year at least, for now. Fourth, since both Harry and Daniel attacked Quirrell, and Dumbledore thinks Daniel is the Boy-Who-Lived, Daniel got the credit, and Dumbledore thinks his theory is even more right. I think that should wrap up everything. **

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Harry Potter, but I do own Daniel.

* * *

><p>Harry's return to Privet Drive was normal, just like everything else on the street. The Dursleys had told the neighborhood something close to the truth; Harry had been accepted into a private, prestigious boarding school in Scotland, the same one that his mother had been accepted into. While there, he had met his family who had ignored him, like he was still nothing. This had only increased the Dursley's reputation around Privet Drive again.<p>

When they got home, Harry and his uncle made a deal; during the day, Harry would act like a Muggle, doing chores outside and his homework in his room. Harry would send Hedwig only at night, and only once a week. Harry kept Neville and Hermione updated throughout his summer, using Muggle-post occasionally to talk to Hermione. He and Hermione also used the telephone to communicate, though just once so far.

In addition to doing his homework, Harry continued to do jobs for his neighbors. Harry planned to put this money in his account when he went to Gringotts and Diagon Alley. With all of the work Harry was doing, he was surprised when Neville invited him for a joint birthday party the day after Uncle Vernon's dinner party.

Uncle Vernon had been talking about this dinner party for a couple of weeks. Mr. Mason, a rich builder, and his wife were coming to dinner next week and Uncle Vernon was hoping to get a large order of drills from him. Vernon and Aunt Petunia had been working hard to make the house more than presentable and had dragged Harry into it. He had spent the past week working on the garden, making it the pride of their house.

On the morning of Harry's birthday and the day of the dinner party, the Dursley's and Harry went over the schedule and plans for the dinner party. Harry would assist his aunt with preparations; Dudley would escort Mrs. Mason, while Vernon would talk with Mr. Mason. The Masons would arrive at eight and Vernon hoped to have the deal signed by ten. Vernon and Dudley went to get dinner jackets while Harry helped Aunt Petunia clean the house.

At five till eight, the Dursleys and Harry were waiting in the living room for the Masons, dinner jackets and cocktail dresses ready. Dudley opened the door and Harry met the Masons. Mr. Mason was a tall elderly man with thinning white hair, his wife was a head shorter than him with short, curly brown hair. "May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?" said Dudley.

"Thank-you son." Mr. Mason took his coat off and handed it to Dudley.

"Allow me to introduce my family Mr. Mason. This is my wife Petunia and our son Dudley. And this is our nephew Harry; we're taking care of him because his parents are unable to." Vernon pointed to everyone and Dudley and Harry shook the Masons' hands in greeting. They then moved into the dining room where they enjoyed Petunia's delicious pork roast.

"So, tell me where you go to school Dudley." They were talking after dinner and Mr. Mason was curious about the two boys. Uncle Vernon replied for Dudley, "He goes to Smeltings, like I did."

"What about you Harry? Where do you go to school?" asked Mrs. Mason. Aunt Petunia answered for him this time. "He goes to a private school in Scotland, the same one his parents went too."

"What's the name of it?" Petunia suddenly got really nervous at this question so Harry answered. "It's called Hogwarts." The Masons looked at each other at this. "Isn't that the name of the school Robert's granddaughter goes to?" Mrs. Mason asked her husband. Looking back at Harry she asked, "Tell me, do you know a Hermione Granger?"

Surprised at hearing his friend's name, it took Harry awhile to respond. "She's one of my best friends, how do you know her?" Mrs. Mason smiled and clapped her hands, "Oh, I so happy young Hermione finally found some friends, she was so lonely." Mr. Mason answered for his wife, "Robert Granger and I have been golfing buddies for a long time now. His son Dan is our dentist, so we are friendly with the whole family."

Harry and the Dursleys were shocked at this information, Harry that one of his friends was family friends with his uncle's dinner quests, Vernon was shocked that his guests had connections to _that_ world, even if it was unknown. Turning back to Vernon, Mr. Mason said, "I believe we were going to discuss business?" And with that the discussion turned to drills and Uncle Vernon had his contract ten minute till ten o'clock.

Both Harry and Uncle Vernon were standing at the window, watching the Masons drive off, before he turned to his nephew. "I don't believe it boy, I just don't believe it. But somehow, your connections with…_that_ world helped me secure the biggest deal of my career. I just don't believe it." And with that he turned towards the kitchen, still muttering on how he couldn't believe it. His uncle couldn't believe it? Harry couldn't believe it. When he saw Hermione tomorrow for Neville's birthday, he would have to seriously thank her.

The next day Harry took the Knight Bus, information provided by Neville, to Longbottom Manor near Devon. He was the last to arrive and Neville introduced him to his remaining family. Also on the guest list were Parvati and Padma Patil, twin sisters in their year in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw respectively, Hannah Abbott and her friend Susan Bones, both Hufflepuffs in their year, and Susan's Aunt Amelia, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. All of the adults were interested in meeting Harry, the brother of the famous Boy-Who-Lived. Madam Bones was particularly interested as James Potter and Sirius Black were two of her top Aurors.

When Harry found Hermione, he told her about the dinner party last night. She was excited that he had met the Masons and couldn't wait to tell her father and grandfather. She also showed him an article from the Daily Prophet about how a house-elf attacked his brother yesterday, no details were released. Not concerned, Harry enjoyed himself at the party and was pleased that Neville liked his book on rare Muggle plants. Harry noticed that most of Neville's presents were Herbology oriented, despite his grandmother's attempts to get him focused on Transfiguration.

Harry knew about Neville's parents, Neville having privately told him on the train ride home after Harry told them about what really happened in the Stone's Chamber. He was still unsure on how to tell Hermione about them. It was the way Voldemort's followers treated Neville's parents and people like Hermione that made him not want to follow Voldemort. Daniel may be the one prophesied to destroy him, but that didn't mean Harry couldn't get in a few blows as well.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry that this chapter was so short, the next one will be longer as it will include Diagon Alley, Lockhart, the train ride, Sorting, a major plot detail near the end, and the introduction of one of my favorite characters. <strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**I am still looking for a Beta Reader. ****Disclaimer: **As you should know by now, I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

><p>A week after Neville's party, the Hogwarts letter for Harry came. Inside was a reminder that term started on September First as well as a booklist that contained seven books written by someone called Gilderoy Lockhart. All seven books had a title that included some sort of magical creature or beast, Harry guessed that they contained information on them, any cousin type creatures, and how to defeat them, although he wasn't sure because the titles were a little strange. As soon as the letter arrived, Harry contacted Neville and Hermione and they arranged to meet at Diagon Alley later in the week to do their shopping.<p>

After being dropped off yet again by his uncle, Harry entered the Leaky Cauldron with a bit of money that he had earned and been lent by his uncle. Harry immediately saw Hermione with her parents and greeted them while waiting for Neville to show up. He did appear with his grandmother a couple of seconds later from green flames in the Leaky Cauldron fireplace. As they walked to Gringotts, Neville explained to them both about Floo Travel; Hermione was as excited as ever to learn more about magical travel, but Harry didn't feel so good about it. Hermione's parents must have felt the same because they looked uncomfortable as Neville talked about it.

At Gringotts, Harry and Hermione exchanged the Muggle Money they brought into Galleons, Sickles, and Kunts, and then Harry and Neville went down to their trust vaults. Like last year, Harry removed some of his trust money and put it into his account, there was no telling what the Potters would do now since they knew he was a wizard. Afterwards, they went shopping, first to Flourish and Blotts, the bookshop. Outside of the bookshop they saw a sign which read: _GILDEROY LOCKHART_ _will be signing copies of his autobiography MAGICAL ME today 12:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M._ Hermione was very excited to meet the man who wrote almost the entire booklist, however, Neville managed to persuade her not to as the Longbottom Family had a low opinion of Lockhart. Apparently he was a year or two ahead of Neville's farther in Ravenclaw as was very studious, very extremely horrible with spells, not even able to do the simplest.

As it was still relatively early in the book signing, they were able to get in, grab their books, and get out rather quickly and without being spotted. After that they were able to get their shopping done, almost running into the Potters and Weasleys outside Quidditch Quality Supplies. When they were done Harry treated everyone, even the Grangers, to some ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. As they were passing Flourish and Blotts to leave, they saw what looked like a small scuffle inside the shop. The adults, not wanting any part of it, had them quickly go by the shop back into the Leaky Cauldron. There, the three friends said their good-byes, and promised to meet each other early on September First before going their separate ways.

The next day, Harry was reading the _Daily Prophet_; a subscription was a birthday present from Neville and Hermione, a saw that the front page was about Lockhart and his brother. Not long after they left, the Potters and Weasleys had entered Flourish and Blotts and Daniel was spotted. He was brought forward, shook hands with Lockhart, photographed, and then presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart free of charge. Lockhart then made a very special announcement, he was going to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts this year, 'a real treat' said the _Daily Prophet_.

The article then had a few quotes on what several women thought about Lockhart. The fight they saw was even included, something about publicity. Harry knew Hermione would be excited that she would get to meet Lockhart after all, maybe even get her books signed. Harry however, wasn't too pleased with his books. He had opened and read only the first couple of chapter of Lockhart's books before realizing that they were little more than story books. Even though, he had read through them all and discovered that they were a semi-detailed account of Lockhart's adventures and his defeats of a handful of dark creatures. He found it hard to believe considering what Neville had told him yesterday, but maybe Lockhart improved after school.

On the morning of September First, Uncle Vernon once again dropped Harry off at Kings Cross Station thirty minutes after ten. Wheeling his trunk onto platform nine and three-quarters Harry found Hermione first and they claimed a compartment together and waited for Neville. He showed up twenty minutes till eleven and joined them in their compartment. They then said good-bye to the Grangers and Neville's grandmother. About five minutes until the train left, Harry noticed the Weasleys and Potters come through the barrier, though Harry didn't see his brother. Soon the train left and they were once again on their way to Hogwarts.

Soon after the train left, the door to the compartment opened and a little red-headed girl Harry recognized as belonging to the Weasleys entered. She immediately locked eyes on Harry and started talking a mile a minute, "Daniel, Mon, Dad, and your father couldn't find you and Ron on the platform and were getting and I got scared, then I couldn't find you on the train, so do you mind if I seat with you?" The entire time she was talking her face was very red.

"That's not Daniel, it's his brother Harry. I didn't see your brother on the platform either, but you're welcome to set with us." This came from Neville and he pointed to the seat next to him. Once Neville had said this, the Weasley girl looked once more at Harry, saw her mistake, and turned even redder.

Taking the seat Neville offered, she said, "Thanks, my name's Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister and I'm a first year. I didn't know that Daniel had a twin."

Lowering the book she had been reading since they left, Hermione answered. "Not many people do, though we're trying to correct that. Hello Ginny, my name's Hermione Granger, that's Neville Longbottom, and Harry of course. What house do you hope to get into?"

With Hermione leading the questions, Ginny slowly got used to them, though every once and a while she would look quickly at Harry, turn red, and look away. He quickly got the idea that Ginny may have a crush on his older brother and was very shy around him. They were interrupted again by the door opening, this time a blond girl entered. She was a little shorter than Ginny, had a dreamy look in her grey eyes, wore a necklace of corks, and had her wand stuck behind her left ear like a pencil. See took a seat next to Hermione, pulled out a magazine and began to read it upside-down.

"Hello Luna, how have you been?"

Without lowering her magazine, she said in a dreamy voice, "Hello Ginny, I've been fine. You're still infested with Nargles though."

Harry and his friends starred at the girl until Ginny introduced them. "This is Luna. Luna Lovegood. She's a bit strange sometime, believes in weird creatures, but a good friend. We live near each other near Ottery St. Catchpole." Despite this, Harry continued to stare. Ginny left twice to look for her brother, but returned both times saying she couldn't find him. Even the twins didn't know where he and Daniel were.

When they arrived at Hogwarts, Harry, Hermione, and Neville left Luna and Ginny to ride the boats across the Black Lake with the other first years and Hagrid. They followed the rest of the school away from the Hogwarts Express platform to a small fleet of horseless carriages. They claimed one with Lisa Turpin and Padma Patil in it and rode up past the gates of Hogwarts to the main entrance. The Great Hall looked the same as it did last year, except the four house tables were slightly empty, awaiting this year's first years, and Gilderoy Lockhart sat in Professor Quirrell's old spot, wearing aquamarine robes.

Saying good-bye to Neville, Harry and Hermione joined Lisa and Padma at the Ravenclaw table with Harry sitting next to Hermione and across from Lisa. They waiting for only a few minutes, but it felt like hours, for Professor McGonagall to bring in the new first years. The Sorting Hat sang a different song than it had last year, and the Sorting started. During it, Harry noticed that Professor Snape was absent. Not really worried about the Potions teacher, Harry went back to the Sorting.

They were in the _C_'s when Harry felt the strange urge to look towards the front of the hall. There, peering through the semi open doors to the Great Hall, were Daniel and Ron, watching the Sorting hidden. Harry watched as Professor Snape snuck up on them and dragged them away. The strange girl Luna Lovegood joined Harry and Hermione at Ravenclaw. She sat down on Harry's right smiling while Lisa sent an unnoticed glare. Ginny Weasley however, joined Neville at Gryffindor table.

At the end of the Sorting, Professor Dumbledore stood up. "I'll make this quick, as I have something very important and unexpected to do. First, a reminder, the Forbidden Forest is forbidden, second, no magic in the corridors between classes, and third, please welcome your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart. Now, I must be off, so tuck in." And with those words Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Lily Potter went out side door in the Great Hall, all three looking quite mad.

Dinner was a noisy affair as the students were talking about three things; what drew away the three professors and mad them so mad, the new professor Lockhart, or friends and housemates asking each other about their summers. Harry talked mainly with Luna, learning about strange creatures that he wondered that excited or not like Nargles, Wrackspurts, and Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. He also talked briefly with his other housemates. He noticed that Lisa reminded him of Ginny, sneaking looks at him, and going red either when caught or he spoke to her. The three professors returned, still looking quite mad, along with Professor Snape near the end of the feast. Daniel and Ron weren't with them, but Harry knew that they hadn't been expelled yet. He actually felt sorry for Daniel; their mother must have ripped into them greatly for whatever they had done.

* * *

><p><strong>I know some of you will be unhappy with how I portrayed Lockhart so let me explain. He really was in Ravenclaw, but that doesn't mean he can actually do the spells, Merlin knows how he graduated from Hogwarts. Remember, Harry is twelve, so he wouldn't really like or dislike Lockhart until he actually met him. Also, I have read many fics where Lockhart's books aren't factual because supposedly he's in two places at once. Although the wizarding world may not be very smart at times, if this was true <strong>_**someone**_** (like Dumbledore) would have caught on. Also, don't forget that he wrote seven books **_**and **_**an autobiography, Lockhart may be stupid, but even he's smart enough to fix errors like that. Don't worry however, he is still the useless moron we all know and love that he was in the books. **


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own the Harry Potter series, but I do own the character Daniel Potter. **

* * *

><p>The next morning, it was explained why Daniel and Ron weren't on the platform, the train, and how they arrived at Hogwarts in the <em>Daily Prophet<em>. The article said that around seven or eight Muggles from London saw a flying Ford Anglia in the sky. Apparently the car belonged to Arthur Weasley, Ron and Ginny's father, and he was facing an inquiry at the Ministry of Magic. As if to prove the article right, a woman's voice was suddenly heard from the Gryffindor table.

"Must be a Howler," said Terry Boot, who was seated two seats to Harry's left. He, along with everyone else in the Hall, was turning in his seat, trying to find the person who had gotten the Howler. It wasn't hard with Howler shouting Ron's name across the Hall and him and Daniel shrinking in their seats with embarrassment.

After the Howler finished its rant, Terry turned to Harry and Hermione and explained. "A Howler is a magical letter used to deliver a message of displeasure; it is very loud and will burst into flame with its message twice as bad if it isn't opened a few seconds after delivery. Very horrible." He said this last part with a shudder. Professor Flitwick then came by with their schedules and Harry saw that they had Charms first thing after breakfast.

Later that morning they had Transfiguration and Neville told them about Daniel, Ron, and last night. Somehow Gryffindor Tower had found out about the flying Ford Angelia. They had taken the car the entire way to Hogwarts and crashed it into a Whomping Willow, a dangerous tree that attacks anything that gets too close to it. The duo had been the heroes of Gryffindor Tower; until they found out that their actions had cost Gryffindor one hundred points before term had even begun. They also had two weeks' worth of detentions and were subject to a dressing down that made Mrs. Weasley's Howler sound like someone whispering to a baby and almost twice as scary as a dragon.

For the next couple of days, things were the same as they were last year at Hogwarts. The only difference was instead of Professor Quirrell for Defense Against the Dark Arts, they had Gilderoy Lockhart, who was next to useless. Quirrell had a stutter that made him difficult to understand, yet he was actually able to teach them something, while Lockhart taught nothing. His first lesson started with a test over his books, which Harry and Hermione read all the way through, but was focused on Lockhart himself and not about Defense at all. After that was a lecture on how lucky they were to have Lockhart as a professor and all of his accomplishments. At least they had it better than Neville's class which had Cornish pixies unleashed on them.

The other differences were Harry's new friends. Both Ginny and Luna were oddities. Every time Harry talked to her, her face went as red as her hair, which was something as she had a very pale face. Because of this Harry didn't talk to Ginny very much, though Neville, Hermione, and Luna did. Luna talked about many strange creatures and theories, most of which were mentioned in the magazine her father published. _The Quibbler_. _The Quibbler_, Harry learned, was something of a joke in the Wizarding World, though it was good for a laugh sometimes.

Luna also talked with a dreamy voice and seemed to know things. Like when she mentioned to Harry that his family would know the truth soon enough and not to blame them for their actions. Harry didn't know what she was talking about, though from his talks with Ginny, this was common with Luna, and what she was talking about wouldn't be known until it happened. He also started up a friendship with the Grey Lady of Ravenclaw Tower, and through her, her friend Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, aka Nearly Headless Nick, ghost of Gryffindor Tower.

Classes were also a bit different, though as this was the next year, they were supposed to get harder as the years go on, which was to be expected. History of Magic was still just as boring and Harry could barely stay awake in that class. Lockhart's Defense class was just various proclamations about his greatness and readings from his books. Potions Class, however, was slightly different. During the summer, Harry a found a chemistry book with methods similar to what was used in Professor Snape's class. He had shown Hermione the book and together they presented Snape with their findings.

Snape had smiled and told them very few people ever saw the similarities between potion making and chemistry and had offered them help which he only offered a few Ravenclaws and Slytherins. Despite what the rest of the school thought, Snape didn't favor the Slytherins; he just pushed them harder than any other professor at Hogwarts. Those that showed talent in potion making, Snape tutored, along with the very few Ravenclaws that were able to show talent. Hufflepuffs, although hard workers, showed very little talent in potion making, and were extremely rare for tutoring, while Snape just plain hated Gryffindors. He didn't even try to hide his prejudice there. Pleased with the offer, both had accepted.

One late September night, Harry awoke all of a sudden and didn't know what had woken him up until he heard the voice. _"Come…come to me….Let me rip you….Let me tear you….Let me kill you…."_ Confused as to what he heard, Harry didn't go back to sleep right away, thinking over it. He knew the voice wasn't from any dreams he had as it woke him up, but that left him with nothing to figure out where it came from. Unable to get back to sleep, Harry got out of bed and walked down to the common room which was empty except for…

"Hello Harry" Sitting in front of the fireplace was Luna Lovegood, wearing her dressing gown and sneakers.

"Hello Luna. What are you still doing up?"

"The Wrackspurts make me sleepwalk," she said, pointing down to her shoes. "I go to bed wearing shoes in case I sleepwalk, so my feet don't get hurt." She said this in such a way that Harry didn't doubt it, even though he didn't believe Wrackspurts existed. "Did they wake you up too?"

"No, I just couldn't sleep."

Luna just smiled. "Don't worry, the Wrackspurts will leave you alone soon and move on to Lisa Turpin. Watch out on Halloween though. Goodnight Harry." And with that, she got up from her chair, and went back up to the girls' dorm. Harry just stared after her.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the short chapter, I'm starting to have some writer's block with this as I'm not very original, though things will pick up again after the Chamber of Secrets opens, I have big plans. Once again, I'm sorry for the short chapter. <strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**Here are some answers to some questions. Daniel and Ron lost points because of what they did to get to school. Even without McGonagall and Snape they still had to deal with Lily, and mothers are really scary. Second, Luna is not a seer, though she does act like it. She is also one of my favorite characters but is really difficult to write. In anyone can give me some help, that would be great. Finally, family interactions with Harry won't happen until third year, sorry. This does not include Daniel however. **

**I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

><p>Harry sat in the Great Hall, feeling as though something was wrong. Hermione said that he was just feeling guilty about turning down the Grey Lady's invite to Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party. As a good friend of Nicholas, the Grey Lady was able to invite Harry as a friend; however, he turned her down. Part of the reason was because he heard that his brother and Ron would be there and he still didn't want anything to do with Daniel. Looking across to the Gryffindor Table, Harry was able to confirm that Ron and Daniel weren't there, same as Ginny. Harry assumed that they had invited her along. Because of the party, there were no ghosts in the Great Hall tonight, which Harry felt was disappointing; how could there be no ghosts at a Halloween Feast.<p>

During dessert, the rumors of a dancing skeleton performance were proven true when he called six of them forward to perform. Everyone laughed as the skeletons danced, juggled their skulls and bones, and even perform a variety of acrobatics that were simply impossible for humans. While one of them twisted its body all around on multiple joints, Harry's eyes were drawn to the only person whose eyes weren't on the skeletons; his mother's. Like last year, Lily Potter kept looking his way at every meal, though this year she didn't try to hide it. He also noticed that there was something like pain in her eyes.

Finally the performance ended. The skeletons took one last bow and fell apart to the roars of laughter from the students of Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore dismissed them back to their dormitories and the Halloween Feast ended. As they were leaving, Harry heard the voice again.

"_Rip….tear…kill…soo hungry…so long…kill…time to kill…"_

He froze the moment he heard it, leading to Hermione crashing into him. Now he knew that he hadn't imagined the voice that night, and this time the voice sounded cold and murderous. It sounded like it was going up, like most of the entire school. A quick look around showed that no one else heard the mysterious voice. Fear ripped through Harry like a knife, why was he the only one to hear the voice? Was he starting to go insane?

"…_blood….I smell blood...I SMELL BLOOD"_

The voice was getting fainter, and Harry was growing more and more scared. Who or what was he hearing, if he was hearing anything? Harry tried to get to the front of the Ravenclaws heading back to the tower, trying to follow the voice. He had almost gotten to the front when everyone suddenly stopped in a corridor on the second floor. Frantic whispers floated back from the front and Harry fought his way to the front.

In front of half of the school, Daniel and Ron stood in the corridor. On the wall behind them were words, written in something bright, shiny, and red. _The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware._ Beneath the message was Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat. She was hanging from a torch by her tail, frozen, stiff as a board. Her yellow eyes reflected off of the large amount water on the floor.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!" This came from Draco Malfoy who was wearing a large smile as he starred at the message. Mr. Filch came to the front of the crowd and saw Mrs. Norris. Filch accused Daniel of murdering his cat and moved to attack him. Professor Dumbledore then arrived and stopped Filch. He froze at the sight of Mrs. Norris and the message. Then he dismissed everyone except Daniel and Ron back to the dormitories.

Walking back, Harry continued to think about what he had heard and seen. Now he knew for absolute certainty that the voice he heard a couple of nights ago was real and whatever it was had done something to Mrs. Norris. The question was, who or what was making the voice and what had they done to Mrs. Norris as she resembled a statue.

The next day Hermione asked Harry if she could borrow his copy of _Hogwarts, A History_ to research the Chamber of Secrets. Also wondering about this mysterious Chamber, and thinking it would give Harry a clue on the voice he kept hearing, he, along with Neville, Ginny, and Luna, crowded around Hermione in the Library as she read from a chapter entitled _Legends of Hogwarts_ about the Chamber.

_The history of the legendary Chamber of Secrets dates back almost to the founding of Hogwarts itself. Salazar Slytherin wanted to teach magic to all those children who were born in a magical family. According to him, those who were born in nonmagical families (Muggles) were unworthy and untrustworthy to learn about the wonders of magic. For the first couple of years after Hogwarts' founding, Slytherin tried to convince the others founders of his beliefs, but was unsuccessful. Finally, Godric Gryffindor, whose own mother was a muggleborn, decided enough was enough, and challenged Slytherin to a contest where one of their students would compete in a series of magical tests. Slytherin chose a pureblooded wizard that he had taught extensively while Gryffindor, seeking to teach his old friend a lesson, chose a muggleborn wizard of average talent. _

_When the contest was over, Gryffindor's student had barely won, completely humiliating Slytherin and his pupil. Right there, Slytherin vowed revenge against Gryffindor, his student, and all muggleborns. Sensing Slytherin's anger, Rowena Ravenclaw, shortly before her untimely death, created the Hogwarts Charter, a book which magically recorded the birth of every magical child whether they be born to Muggle or Wizard, to help send invites to potential students, stopping Slytherin's attempts to block muggleborns from coming to Hogwarts. This action, however, sealed Slytherin's belief that the other founders were against him, and so, against the entire magical world. Slytherin once again challenged Gryffindor, this time to a duel, and lost again. _

_After losing, Slytherin left the school, but not before killing the muggleborn who defeated his pupil, now his son-in-law. Gryffindor set out to hunt Slytherin and found him outside Gryffindor's own village. For the last time a battle was fought between Slytherin and Gryffindor, with Gryffindor slaying Slytherin. Before his death however, Slytherin warned Gryffindor that he had hidden a secret chamber beneath the school, and when his Heir returned, he would unleash the monster within and purge the school of all foul blood. Whether this is truth or one final attack on Gryffindor is unknown, but what is known is that Slytherin's family disappeared just before his death and no one carrying either his name; or the name of his descendants has ever set foot within Hogwarts after Slytherin's death. _

_As of the publishing of this book, Hogwarts has been searched countless numbers of times, often by some of the top witches and wizards of the time. Not even a hint of Slytherin's secret chamber has been discovered, leading many people to believe that the Chamber of Secrets is just a legend. _

The five students stared at each other. Here was the legend that the entire school was talking about. The Chamber of Secrets had to be real; Mrs. Norris was evidence of that. But why hadn't anyone ever been able to find it? If it was real, who was the Heir that was supposed to be opening it? If it wasn't real, who was trying to make them believe it was real and why? What king of monster was able to petrify people? Harry knew only one thing; the voice he heard was not doubt the voice of Slytherin's monster, but what kind of beast was able to talk?

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you liked my own little story on the history of the Chamber of Secrets. I have some big plans that are coming. More on Lily later. Keep reading and reviewing. <strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**Well, I'm sorry to some of my readers because the don't think my story is original enough, so they have stopped read it. This will be the last update for a short while as I want to finish up year 2 and get started on year 3. I do have some more major points figured out like the Lily/Harry meeting though. Some last things, Daniel can't talk to snakes, as shown in this chapter, only Harry can. The Basilisk scene is going to be different, so watch out. I _still_ don't own Harry Potter, just this story.**

* * *

><p>Apparently the opening of the Chamber of Secrets wasn't enough to stop the Quidditch season at Hogwarts. On the first Saturday of November, the entire school piled into the stands to watch the first match; Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, like always. Unlike last year, Harry was rooting for Gryffindor, if Slytherin won, they would overtake Ravenclaw in the House Cup. Unfortunately the chances of Gryffindor winning was slim; they had gotten new brooms that were better than any other out there, even Daniel's advanced Nimbus 2000. One thing that did improve Gryffindor's chances was that Draco Malfoy was playing Seeker and that he was inexperienced.<p>

The weather was dark and cloudy; the sun just wasn't able to show through making it difficult to search for the Snitch. It was also slightly chilly and there was a slight hint of rain. Both Hermione and Luna were seating beside him, cheering. Actually, Hermione was cheering while Luna was looking all over the stadium for a Heliopath, a small spirit made of flame. Harry could see Neville on the Gryffindor side though Ginny was nowhere to be seen, which was odd because of her crush on Daniel.

Slytherin was ahead, one hundred to ten and neither Seeker had seen the Snitch. Harry though he saw it at one point, but couldn't be sure. Draco was obviously flying around, taunting the Gryffindor players while Daniel was busy dodging a Bludger. Now that Harry thought about it, that Bludger had been following Daniel since the game began. The Weasley twins were now locked in a contest to see who could whack the Bludger the farthest, preventing their Chasers and Keeper from doing their job.

Finally the Gryffindor Captain called for a time out and Daniel shot towards the ground, the Bludger circling above him like a shark circling its prey, waiting to strike. The Gryffindors were planning what to do about the Rouge Bludger and Malfoy was being yelled at by the Slytherin Captain for not looking for the Snitch. At last, the game started again and the Bludger rocketed after Daniel who was barely able to dodge it.

Harry then noticed the Snitch hanging around Malfoy, who didn't seem to notice it as he just sat on his broom laughing at Daniel's predicament. After hanging around for a few seconds the Snitch disappeared again. Harry knew that with Draco's inability to focus on the game and the stupid Bludger chasing Daniel, the game would never end. However, right after finishing that thought, a strange sort of luck happened. The Bludger finally got Daniel, knocking him off of his broom. As he fell, his hand grabbed the Snitch which was a few feet below him. He then landed hard on the ground, resulting in several serious injuries.

Harry, like the rest of the students, was shocked at this end to the Quidditch match, but soon, three-fourths of the stadium was cheering loudly and screaming about the defeat of Slytherin as well as the status of Daniel Potter. He watched as the rest of the Gryffindor team landed around Daniel to congratulate him and as Lockhart attempted to heal him. The result must not have been very good as one of the Chasers threw up her breakfast. The rest of the team then carried Daniel up to the Hospital Wing.

"Really weird catch Daniel made, wasn't it?" Harry and his friends were in the Library working on homework later that day.

"It was just luck that allowed him to do that Neville, though Draco wasn't even trying."

"Oh, do you think you could do better Harry?"

"Maybe Luna, this is Grant's last year here at Hogwarts. I think I'll try out for Ravenclaw Seeker next year."

"Good luck with that Harry." Unknown to the four friends, except Luna, someone was watching and listening to the entire conversation. The person smiled as an idea came to her head.

The next day rumors were abound in Hogwarts about the Hospital Wing's newest residents. The rumors were that Daniel's injuries were so bad that he was going to be missing a couple of weeks of school. This was later proven to be true as Lily Potter was seen ripping into Professor Lockhart about how serious her son's injuries were. He was seen until Monday morning. Also, Colin Creevey had been found petrified late at night. Unfortunately for the Hogwarts rumour mill, the prime suspect in the Chamber Attacks was lying in the Hospital Wing as well, unable to even get out of bed, which left them with no suspects.

In mid-December a flyer went up in all the common room notice boards about a new Dueling Club being set up. Curious about dueling, Harry decided to go. He wasn't the only one, just about everyone in Hogwarts, first through seventh year, and all four houses crowded in the Great Hall for the first meeting. Professors Lockhart and Snape took the stage to begin the meeting.

"Gather around! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little club to train you all in case you ever needed to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions. For full details, see my published works."

Harry groaned at the thought of Lockhart teaching them dueling, he had been completely useless in class. He was pleased to see his thoughts were echoed by all of the boys, Daniel included, and a small number of the girls. The rest of the female population like Hermione, were too infatuated with Lockhart to care. They started the meeting with a quick duel between Lockhart and Snape which Snape won easily, and then they were split into partners to practice. Harry joined Neville while Hermione dueled Lisa.

Both Harry and Hermione were able to disarm their opponent, but they were the only ones able to. At the word _GO_, the Great Hall was suddenly a room full of jinxes and spells flying every which way, with everyone and everything getting hit, often more than once.

"STOP! STOP!" shouted Lockhart. "I think it'd be best if we teach you how to block unfriendly spells. Let's have a volunteer pair, Potter, Weasley, come on up."

Ron and Daniel were starting to climb up on the stage when Snape stopped them. "A bad idea Professor. Weasley's wand causes devastation at even the simplest of spells. I suggest to avoid sending what remains of the Boy-Who-Lived to the Hospital Wing and suffering the wrath of Lily Potter, that we have someone else come up. The other Potter perhaps?"

No doubt remembering the last time he faced Lily Potter, Lockhart readily agreed to the change and smiling, Harry climbed up onto the stage to face his brother. Lockhart leaned over to whisper to Daniel and Snape did the same to Harry.

"Alright Potter, here is your chance to put your brother in his place. Now, I happen to know for a fact that your brother is deathly afraid of snakes, no doubt a result of your father's teachings. Don't forget, the snake summoning charm is _Serpensortia_."

Looking over at Daniel in time to see Lockhart drop his wand, Harry smirked. He wouldn't forget to embarrass his brother, but he wouldn't pull any dirty tricks to beat him. He'd do it fair and square to show everyone he was the better wizard.

Once Lockhart said go, both brothers fired their _Expelliiarmus_ spells at the same time. They hit in the center of the dueling platform and exploded, but Daniel wasn't done. He fired three more spells at Harry, which he just barely dodged. Harry fired two of his own and Daniel dodged them easily with one hitting Lockhart. Harry knew that in order to beat Daniel, he needed an advantage, so he decided to do what Snape told him to do. The moment the Black Asp was out of Harry's wand, Daniel froze in fear and many in the Hall screamed.

"Don't move, Potter. I'll get rid of it." Snape slowly walked forward and Harry knew that Snape had planned a prank on Daniel which was very Slytherin like. However, Lockhart wanted to be a hero.

"Allow me Professor Snape."

There was a loud bang and the snake went flying, landing near a group of Hufflepuffs. Knowing that the snake was going to strike, Harry did the only thing he could think of; he told the snake to stop. Miraculously, the snake did stop and turned toward Harry. He was suddenly aware of all eyes on him. The entire Hall was silently watching him with Daniel and the boy in front of the snake looking at him with fear. Nervous, Harry ran from the Great Hall, followed closely by Hermione and Neville.

Once they were in an empty classroom, Harry found out the reason everyone was suddenly looking at him strangely. He was a Parselmouth; he could talk to snakes, just like Slytherin himself. Even now the entire school would suspect him for opening the Chamber of Secrets, never mind that he had an alibi for the first attack, he was in the Great Hall with everyone else. Things at Hogwarts were about to get a lot more difficult.

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office thinking over the information that Severus had brought him; the youngest Potter boy was a Parselmouth. Daniel had told him that during the Stone Adventure last year that Harry was tempted to join Voldemort. Had he found Harry during the summer and taught him Dark Magic, or was the Parselmouth ability a result of the Halloween Attack. Lily's Love Charm had protected Daniel from any Dark Magic that night, but that didn't mean that Harry was protected. Or was it from the Stone Adventure? Both boys had attacked Quirrell, but Lily's protection charm had allowed Daniel to defeat Quirrell. Harry was unconscious when he arrived, so had Voldemort transferred some of his power then before Daniel beat Voldemort? He would have to watch young Harry to make sure he wasn't dark. Lily would also have to be warned.


	18. Chapter 18

**OK, I'm back from my break and let me tell you it has been productive. I have finished year two and started on year three. People have questions about how Daniel and Harry couldn't beat one another in the duel.  
>Daniel has been trained in magical theory since the age of six, so he has a greater understanding of theory than most sixth years. Harry, however, has a lot of raw magical talent. As a result of these things, they are equal for now. On the Dumbledore matter, he is extremely stubborn and won't admit defeat easily, though he just might admit it near the end of the story. He thinks Harry's Parseltongue ability comes from Voldemort's attack on Godric's Hallow or from the stone adventure. Still don't own Harry Potter.<strong>

* * *

><p>Harry walked down the empty hallway towards his next class. He had spent his free period in the Library working on his Charms homework and as a result, he had to listen to several Hufflepuffs whisper about how he was the Heir of Slytherin. Right now, more than half of the school thought he was the Heir as Hufflepuffs were loyal to their own and Gryffindors listened to anything that Daniel said. Both houses now believed that he was a Dark Wizard, it didn't help that most of the school saw him summon the snake during the Dueling Club.<p>

However, most Ravenclaws as well as a select few Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors, remembered that he had an alibi for the attacks, he was in the Great Hall with everyone else for the first one, and was in his dormitory for the second, Terry Boot confirmed it. The stubborn Gryffindors refused to believe them however. Harry should have known that he had an unusual ability from the start, he remembered releasing that boa constrictor before coming to Hogwarts and there weren't any spells or charms that existed that allowed people to talk to any kind of animal.

He rounded the corner and froze. In front of him was the Hufflepuff from the Dueling Club, lying on the ground, still as a statue with a look of horror on his face. That wasn't all; Nearly Headless Nick was hovering just a couple inches off of the ground, black and cloudy, with his head almost off his neck. Harry had just finished think what would someone think if they found him there when the doors at the other end of the hall opened and class let out and the students froze.

Harry knew he was in real trouble now; there he was, alone in the corridor with a petrified Hufflepuff and ghost, just a couple days after he had revealed himself as a Parselmouth. Many students screamed, pointed at Harry, and ran. Professor McGonagall was able to restore order and sent the students to their dorms while Professors Flitwick and Sinistratook the victims to the Hospital Wing. She then took Harry down several corridors to a large gargoyle, refusing to even listen to his protests of innocence.

"Lemon drop." At these words, the gargoyle moved aside to reveal a long spiral staircase going upwards. They walked up the stairs to a large oak door with a griffin knocker. McGonagall knocked then opened the door and told Harry to wait for Professor Dumbledore, this was obviously his office. Looking around, the office was large and circular with many things in it. A table held many strange, silver instruments. Several portraits hung on the walls, each with a name of a former headmaster or headmistress with their years underneath. Next to the large, carved desk was bird's perch with a large, red, sick looking bird. All of a sudden, the bird caught fire and Harry was scared that he would be blamed for killing the headmaster's pet bird as well. Just as the bird finished burning, the door opened and Professor Dumbledore himself walked in the office.

Before Harry could even plead his innocence Dumbledore spoke. "It's a shame that you had to see Fawkes on a Burning Day, it's so depressing and he usually is quite beautiful. Fawkes is a phoenix, you've no doubt read about them in those mythology books you have. However, we are not here to talk about that, we need to talk about why you were found, _alone_, in a corridor where two people were found petrified."

As Dumbledore spoke, he moved over to the pile of ash under where his phoenix was before it burned and picked up an ugly baby bird. Slightly calmer about the Fawkes incident, Harry did recognize Fawkes from a picture in a mythology book he had been reading. However, the peace in his mind evaporated as he remembered why he was in Dumbledore's office. Taking a deep breath, Harry did his best to explain.

"I was just walking in the corridor, coming from the Library. I just found them where they were before class ended. I was at least six feet away from them and I swear that I didn't touch them. I'm not the Heir of Slytherin and I didn't tell that snake to attack during the Dueling Club. I have alibis for the first two attacks and I have no reason to hate _or_ attack muggleborns, I swear Professor."

Dumbledore stared at Harry for a few seconds, looking him in the eyes as he did. Harry got a slight headache as he did and thought he hear a buzzing in his ears. Both went away as Dumbledore closed his eyes to take a deep breath.

"You do indeed have alibis for the first two attacks, though I will take you at your word about the snake as only you could understand what was being said. While you have never shown any hate or reason for attacking muggleborns, I'm sure you understand how this looks to the other students. While I might believe you now, I must ask you if there is anything you want to tell me."

"No, sir"

"Very well Mr. Potter, you're free to go, but be warned, if I find out you did have something to do with these attacks, I will have no choice but to expel you, understand?"

Now that Harry had be found at the scene of the crime, there was very little doubt among the students that Harry was indeed guilty, no matter what anyone else said about him. Only the Ravenclaws and Harry's friends believed that he was innocent, though Hermione was warned ten times a day to stay away from Harry or she would be next attacked. Of course the panic of what Harry could do to a ghost caused many students to leave Hogwarts for the holidays. Harry also found that Dumbledore had one of the teachers follow him where ever he went, he couldn't take two steps without Lily Potter being nearby.

During one of his walks of the castle on the first day of winter break, Harry heard someone crying. Following the sound he found the Grey Lady floating near the ceiling, tears falling from her transparent eyes.

"What's wrong Grey Lady?"

"Oh!" He had startled her, and when she saw him her eyes got wide but then went back to normal. She floated down to talk to him. "How's everything Harry?"

"I'm alright, but you're not. Why are you crying?"

The Grey Lady almost burst into tears again as she responded, "I just miss Nick so much, that's all. He's the only ghost, the only person in this entire castle that I can talk with."

From the way she was acting, and how they had behaved in the past, Harry had a sudden revelation. "You like him, don't you?"

Blushing, she nodded. "It's ironic, in life I never found any love, yet here I am dead and I found it easily. I was always horrible in the love department, though my mother always pushed me towards that horrible Baron. Even in death I can't escape his pursuits."

"The Baron? You mean the Bloody Baron of Slytherin?"

Angry, the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower nodded. "Yes, him. When I ran away from my mother she sent the Baron after me. He couldn't take my refusal of him well and he stabbed me, and then killed himself out of grief. And even in death, he won't give up in wanting Helena Ravenclaw."

"Helena Ravenclaw? You're a descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw"

"Her daughter." But Helena didn't stop there. "My mother was always so arrogant, so superior. I couldn't stand sharing her last name, so I ran away to a place where her name didn't matter. Useless of course as I returned to the place I hated more than any other. Of course it wasn't all bad; I did meet Nicholas two hundred years later, though he was just a boy then. I was ever so happy when he returned as a ghost."

She sighed deeply then turned back towards Harry. "You know, you're one of the few people who know my real name, please don't tell anyone." She smiled at his nod. "Dumbledore and Flitwick were able to figure it out of course, they were so clever, but you're the second I've told my real name to. The first was a boy named Tom Riddle, he reminds me so much of you. I told him my story as well, he was so understanding. In fact, thinking of Tom reminds me of the last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened. It's strange, I met Slytherin once."

They had started walking, and when Helena said this last part, Harry froze.

"The last time?"

"Yes, it happened fifty years ago when Tom was a fifth year. He caught the culprit you know. Foolish Rubeus Hagrid had tried to keep the monster as a pet but even it proved too much for him to control. It attacked several students before finally killing one. Poor Myrtle, she had such a promising future. Anyways, Hagrid was caught by Tom after the monster killed Myrtle and expelled. Hogwarts was so close to closing and Tom saved it. He got a Special Award for Services to the School for his work. Dumbledore tried to cover everything up and hired Hagrid as Groundskeeper."

Harry thought about all Helena had told him. Hagrid was certainly the type to try to tame ferocious beasts; he didn't seem the type to be the Heir of Slytherin. From what he knew of Hagrid, he didn't have much brains or magical talent. He also couldn't be the Heir of Slytherin because Dumbledore suspected Harry, and Dumbledore would know if Hagrid was the Heir. Whoever this Tom Riddle was, he had gotten it wrong, but Harry resolved to find out more about him, he might hold more information on the Chamber of Secrets.

* * *

><p><strong>There you go, what does everyone think about Dumbledore now? He is wise and powerful, but human, and as such, able to make mistakes, like us all. I hope you all liked this introduction to Helena Ravenclaw and Tom Riddle. I've wanted to do this for a while now, it's something different. I'm surprised no one has done it before. The next chapter will be posted in about a day or two. Deathly Hallows Part 2 comes out in a week and I finally have midnight tickets!<strong>


	19. Chapter 19

**I've forgotten to do this in the past couple of chapters, but I would like to thank my beta LPlover93. Do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

><p>Harry's search for information on Tom Riddle turned up almost nothing. All that he had found was that Tom Riddle had been a student at Hogwarts from 1938 to 1945, was a Slytherin, made prefect and Head Boy, and in addition to his Special Award, had received a Medal for Magical Merit. Nothing else was available, not where he lived, worked, or even when he had been born or if and when he died. Unable to come up with other places to look for Tom Riddle, Harry put his research on hold for now, but vowed to keep an eye out for any information of Tom Riddle.<p>

The holidays were here and Harry was one of the few people still at Hogwarts, the result of the last attack. Hermione, Neville, and Luna and left for to spend the holidays with their families, leaving Harry and Ginny the only people of their small group at Hogwarts. Being left in the castle with Ginny reminded Harry that he hadn't been very good friends with here lately; he had spent all his time with Neville and Hermione, sometimes including Luna, but never Ginny. The only times he had seen her was at meals, and sometimes with Luna. Harry figured that she had her own group of friends as Neville and Luna had told him that they didn't see her that often as well.

Harry awoke on Christmas morning feeling very happy and opened the presents that his friends gave him. Hermione had sent an eagle feather quill which Harry loved. Neville, Ginny, and Luna had sent Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and Sugar Quills respectively. Although not a fan of Every Flavour Beans, Harry accepted Ginny's present. Later that day Harry enjoyed Christmas Dinner with mouthwatering turkey and pudding that Luna loved so much. Professor Dumbledore led them in several carols, though Daniel and Malfoy looked unhappy. After dinner, Harry went back up to his dorm to read the new mythology book the Dursleys sent for Christmas, Harry loved these books because they were filled with magic and had somewhat accurate information on the Wizarding World. He was in the middle of a story on Perseus when he froze.

Perseus was famous for killing the Gorgon Medusa, who could turn men to stone with a single glance. Medusa was described as a beautiful woman with snakes as hair. She was killed by Perseus who used a shield to view Medusa's reflection and behead her. The entire story sounded like what was happening at Hogwarts, and slowly, Harry became to put the pieces together. He was a Parselmouth, he could talk to snakes, he was hearing voices all around Hogwarts, usually just before an attack, Medusa turned men to stone with a glance and had snakes for hair; Slytherin was a Parselmouth as well. Could Slytherin's monster be some sort of snake capable of turning people to stone? Harry resolved to check the Library the next day.

Harry's search was not in vain, he found what he was looking for. In a textbook about magical snakes, Harry found the following passage: _Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatch beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk had a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it._

This was the answer that Harry was looking for. On Halloween there was a lot of water on the floor where Mrs. Norris was found. She was no doubt sniffing out the Heir when the Basilisk attacked her. Colin Creevey the Gryffindor always had a camera with him and probably saw the snake through the camera. The Hufflepuff most likely saw the Basilisk through Nick, who as a ghost was relatively safe from the creatures gaze. Apparently there was more to the Medusa story than Harry originally thought, an indirect stare of the Basilisk, like a reflection, wouldn't bring much harm to the potential victim. He had to get this to Professor Dumbledore.

It took Harry a couple of minutes to figure out where the headmaster's office was as he was extremely nervous the last time he was taken there. After speaking the password, he climbed up the stair and was about the knock when an 'Enter' came from behind the door. Slowly Harry opened the door. Professor Dumbledore was seated behind his desk, looking straight at Harry as he entered.

"Mr. Potter, what can I do for you?"

"Professor, I have some information on the Chamber of Secrets that I think you should know."

Dumbledore's eyes seemed to sparkle and his mouth curved into a small smile. "And what information is this?"

Harry then explained to the headmaster all that he had learned in the past couple of hours. As he talked, Professor Dumbledore's smile turned into a frown at first, but as he continued, the frown disappeared and his eyes went wide with horror. When he finished, Professor Dumbledore closed his eyes and leaned by in his chair, looking very much like the tired, old man that he was and didn't speak for several minutes.

"I thank you Mr. Potter for bringing this information forward, it explains a lot about why we haven't been able to find the monster or the Chamber. It also explains why Hagrid's roosters were killed earlier this year. I will talk with the other professors on what you have discovered and something will be done about it. Please, take one hundred points for Ravenclaw for this discovery."

When everyone returned from the holidays Professor Dumbledore told everyone that new information on the heir of Slytherin had be found over the break and now they were close to finding the Heir and the monster. Harry could feel almost every eye on him at that point; no doubt everyone thought that he was close to being found out.

The teachers were not saying anything even about a month later. With no attacks since the last, the mood in the castle was starting to grow hopeful that the Chamber of Secrets had been closed. There were several students who thought Harry wasn't opening the Chamber because everyone suspected him and was under constant watch. Indeed, even after giving valuable information to Professor Dumbledore, he was still being watched by Professor Potter.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending how you looked at it, any thoughts of Harry or the Chamber of Secrets disappeared from everyone's minds the morning of February fourteenth. The walls of the Great Hall were a shade of pink that Harry had never seen before and didn't want to see again. Raining from the ceiling was red, white, and pink heart-shaped confetti, covering the food on the tables. Professor Lockhart was wearing robes that matched the walls and called the Hall to silence.

"Happy Valentine's Day! And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all and it doesn't end here. My friendly card carrying cupids," he motioned towards the doors were a dozen dwarfs marching through the doors, carrying harps and wearing golden wings and large frowns. "They will be roving around the school today delivering you valentines."

Harry tuned out the rest of Lockhart's speech. Picking out confetti from his morning porridge, Harry thought about the day ahead and prayed that it would be over soon. Lockhart's dwarfs kept barging into class, creating a general annoyance. Snape looked as though it would poison the dwarfs when three of them interrupted his Potions class. The dwarfs did provide some entertainment before Charms however, at the expense of his brother. One of the dwarfs delivered an embarrassing singing valentine in front of several second and first years, including Ginny Weasley.

In trying to get away, Daniel's bag was split and all of his books fell all over the floor, getting splashed in ink. He scrambled around the floor, trying to get all of his books and run, though he wasn't able to get away before the dwarf started to sing. At the end, everyone started to laugh, yet the Gryffindor Prefect Percy Weasley tried to get everyone to go to class. Looking down, Harry saw one of Daniel's books in front of him. Picking it up, he saw it was a small, thin book with a shabby, black cover. It was a diary. Opening it to see what he's brother had written he saw on the first page a name; Tom Marvolo Riddle. Here was something that might help Harry find out more on Tom Riddle and the Chamber of Secrets.

"Hey Harry!" It was Draco Malfoy. "Read it out loud. I want to hear what Potter's written in his diary."

Before Harry could say anything, Daniel fired an _Expelliiarmus_ at him and the diary went flying, being caught by Ron. Knowing that he could ask Neville to steal the book from Daniel later he didn't see the fearful look Ginny was giving both him and Daniel. He was about to walk into Charms when another dwarf came up to him and delivered a valentine of his own. It was from Lisa and contain only the words _Be Mine_.

* * *

><p><strong>OK, I've trying to drop hints into this last bit for a while now, but I'm no good at writing that stuff so hopefully you can see it now. As I said, HarryHermione won't happen for a while, but that doesn't mean they can't have other relationships.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Still don't own Harry Potter.**

Asking Neville to steal a diary from Daniel Potter probably was the best idea Harry had. Daniel was the lead supporter of the Harry-is-the-Heir-of-Slytherin movement, and as the Boy-Who-Lived, there were very few students who didn't believe it. Because of his friendship with Harry and his support of his innocence, Neville was a semi outcast within Gryffindor Tower. Neville had also told Harry that is was difficult to steal the diary because Daniel usually carried it with him everywhere.

However, as the days went on, fewer and fewer people suspected Harry was the Heir as there were no attacks. The general hope among the students and teachers was that whoever the Heir was had retired and the Chamber was closed for good. Only the few die hard supporters still believed that Harry was the Heir and that he hadn't made any attacks was because too many suspected him and that as soon as suspicion fell, he would strike. The Mandrake Draught needed to restore the petrified people was almost ready.

In April Professor Flitwick went around the second year Ravenclaws and handed out sheets for signing up for new subjects. As third years, students at Hogwarts were given the opportunity to take several new subjects in regard to their magical education. Both Harry and Neville poured over letters the Longbottom family sent him for advice on what to take. They also got plenty of advice from the Prefects. Hermione wanted to take everything but Harry managed to persuade her not to take Muggle Studies. Thinking of what would be useful for the future, Harry chose Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures, as he didn't like Divination, the practice of trying to foresee the future and predict future events and Arithmancy sounded way too hard for him.

Harry was sitting in the Library with Hermione working a Potions essay when Neville ran over to him out of breath. Quietly, he told them that he tried to steal the diary while Daniel was at Quidditch practice but had discovered Daniel's stuff thrown all over the dormitory. Someone else had stolen the diary before he could. Frustrated at the loss, Harry didn't even listen to Hermione's rant about stealing from other students or Neville's continued apology to them both. However, Neville's report did bring something up; what Gryffindor, as it had to be one, stole Tom Riddle's diary, and why?

The next day was the Quidditch match of Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. Hermione wanted to work on some more homework and didn't particularly like Quidditch so she was going to sit the match out. A couple of minutes to eleven and Harry was walking out to the pitch with the rest of the school when he heard it.

"_Kill this time….let me rip….tear…."_

For the first time in five months Harry heard the Basilisk again. Suddenly scared, Harry looked around frantically for a teacher. He saw Professor McGonagall and ran over to her. Telling her what he heard, McGonagall thanked him and told him she would warn Professor Dumbledore, in the meantime, he should go out to the stadium with the rest of the school where it was safe. He did as she said, still scared but glad no one was in the school now.

Sitting in the stands, Harry joined three-fourths of the school in cheering Hufflepuff on before the game started. Gryffindor was doing pregame laps around the stadium when Professor McGonagall magnified her voice by using Sonorus and said

"This match has been cancelled. All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as possible, please!"

This announcement was met with boos, shouts, and whispers as everyone was upset about the cancellation of Quidditch and the possibility of a new attack. Harry suddenly remembered that Hermione was supposed to be in the Library, and started to fear for her life if a Basilisk was about. He was proven right when Professor McGonagall sought him out and brought him to the Hospital Wing where Professors Flitwick and Dumbledore were waiting. In the beds they were looking over were Penelope and Hermione.

"We were able to locate them quickly thanks to your warning Mr. Potter, take twenty points for Ravenclaw. They were both huddled over a mirror; Ms. Clearwater was probably checking her make-up when they saw the Basilisk. I fear Hogwarts may close now."

Dumbledore spoke with great sadness as Harry looked at his best friend with a feeling of helplessness. Professor Flitwick then escorted Harry back to Ravenclaw Tower to address the students of the new rules that would be taking place because of the attacks. The next day the school awoke to a startling surprise; Hagrid had been carted off to Azkaban, the wizard prison, for suspicion of opening the Chamber of Secrets and Professor Dumbledore had been suspended by the governors. This news scared many, without Professor Dumbledore, how long would the muggleborns last. Of course everyone was talking about Hagrid. Since Hermione was Harry's best friend and he was spotted at the match before they were found, suspicion of Harry had all but disappeared.

Harry however, ignored all of this. He was very upset about the attack on Hermione and vowed to find the Heir of Slytherin himself and make them pay, even if the search took the rest of his life. Unlike the rest of the school, Harry didn't think that Hagrid was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets. Even now he was cursing whoever stole the diary before Neville could get to it; he needed the information Tom Riddle had on the Chamber and the Heir.

Only Professor Lockhart didn't share the same somber mood as the rest of the castle. "Come now, don't you people realize the danger has passed? The culprit has been taken away; the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid if he hadn't been sure if he was guilty. We no longer have to worry about the Chamber of Secrets."

Out of all the students, Harry believed that only Daniel and Ron shared his belief that the Chamber wasn't closed, they were still searching for clues as to who the Heir of Slytherin was. Harry heard them discussing the Chamber one day not long after Dumbledore and Hagrid had been removed. Curiously, the discussion had included someone named Myrtle and mention of a bathroom.

One day in Transfiguration Professor McGonagall reminded them about their end of the year exams. Harry was with the rest of the school in their feelings on this; how could the teachers expect the students to take exams with the castle in this state? Despite this, Harry studied harder than ever, determined to be the top of his year. Exams were thrown from his mind a few days later when McGonagall announced that the Mandrake Draught was ready and everyone who had been petrified would be cured tonight. Pleased, Harry went to class with a smile. However, his smile didn't last. As Harry was walking out of his History of Magic class at the end of the day, Professor McGonagall's voice rang throughout the school.

"_All students are to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please."_

Harry was suddenly filled with fear. There couldn't be another attack. Not now. Knowing he couldn't do anything, Harry joined the rest of the Ravenclaws in their dormitory. There they learned the horrible truth; Ginny Weasley had been kidnapped by the monster and taken into the Chamber itself. Gilderoy Lockhart was going to attempt a rescue, but Hogwarts was going to close because of it. Ginny was his second friend hurt because of the Chamber, but he couldn't help but wonder why she had been taken when she was a pureblood.

Harry sat in an armchair by the fireplace thinking of all of the possibilities on why Ginny had been taken, but thought of nothing. Luna came over and sat in the chair next to him, looking the worst of all of the Ravenclaws; Harry remembered that she had been Ginny's oldest friend.

"Your brother and Ronald Weasley are waiting outside for you. They need your help."

Harry looked at Luna but she just jerked her head towards the entrance to the dormitory. Standing up, Harry walked over to the door and into the corridor. Just like Luna said, Daniel and Ron were there, debating on how to get into the Ravenclaw common room. When he came out, they looked up at him.

"How did you guys find this place?"

"My brothers know every inch of this school; they were willing to tell us if it meant getting our little sister back."

"You guys still don't think I'm the Heir of Slytherin, do you?"

"No, but you're a Parseltongue, which means you might be able to get into the Chamber of Secrets."

"I don't even know where it is."

"But we think we have a pretty good idea where. All we need now is your help."

Harry knew that it took a lot for these two to ask for his help, but if there was even a small change to rescue Ginny, he would take it. Agreeing to help them, the trio went to Professor Lockhart's office to recruit his help. There they found him packing up his office, trying to leave before anyone found him. They found out that he was a fraud, he had taken credit for things other people had done. He tried to overpower them, but the Potter brothers proved to be too much for him. Together, they marched him to the site of the first attack.

Inside the bathroom next to the messages, including a new one which read _Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever_, Harry found the ghost called Moaning Myrtle. Everything made sense now, Helena had told him about Myrtle, and Daniel and Ron had discussed Myrtle and a bathroom. They thought that the entrance to the Chamber was here in the bathroom. It was worth a shot.

After questioning Myrtle, who took a shine to Daniel, they discovered a snake carved on a tap. This _was_ the entrance to the Chamber, no wonder no one had ever found it. Upon Daniel's and Ron's urging, Harry used his Parseltongue ability to open the entrance which was a large pipe. Then Harry, Daniel, Lockhart, and Ron slid down, into the Chamber of Secrets.

* * *

><p><strong>We're almost done with second year here. My writing has been going slowly, but I still have five more chapters written.<strong>


	21. Chapter 21

**Tonight Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 comes out and I'm super excited as I have midnight tickets. Anyways, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

><p>The slide down the pipe was very unpleasant; it was dark and slimy and felt like a straight drop down. Behind him, he could hear Lockhart and Ron screaming their heads off. Harry couldn't see two feet in front of him and was beginning to worry about the end of the pipe when it slowly started to level out. He can out hard on the stone floor and slowly got to his feet with a groan. Daniel came out just after him and rolled on the ground before standing. Lockhart and Ron finally came shooting out of the pipe and got to their feet, with Lockhart stumbling a bit.<p>

Harry looked around to see where they were. The stone room where they were wasn't very big but it was tall with the walls covered in slime, as were the four wizards. A single large, dark tunnel led away from the pipe's exit and deeper into the Chamber. The floor was covered with small animal bones. Remembering the new message on the wall, Harry feared for his friend's fate. The tunnel was long with the only light coming from their wands and the only sound was of the crunch of bones as they stepped on them.

Ahead of them was something large and curved, but not moving. Ron kept back, holding his wand on Lockhart, while Harry and Daniel crept closer to the thing. Once they got closer, they could see what it was; a gigantic, poisonous green snake skin was lying curled up on the floor. Harry gulped at the confirmation of his belief on what the monster was. Daniel's face, which had been pale before, was now ghost white at the thought of meeting a very large snake. There was a scuffle behind them. Lockhart had grabbed Ron's wand and was now pointing it at them.

"The adventure ends here boys. I'll take a bit of this skin back up to the school and tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you lost your minds at the sight of her poor mangled body. Say good-bye to your memories. Obliviate!"

Harry leaped back, trying to avoid the spell. He needn't have bothered. For some reason, the wand exploded, causing a small avalanche in the cave. When the dust settled, he and Daniel were on one side of a rock wall while Lockhart and Ron were nowhere to be seen.

"Ron! Are you okay?" While Harry looked towards the ceiling, preparing for another cave-in, Daniel was trying to see if his best friend was alright.

"I'm okay, thought this git isn't. He got blasted by his own spell, doesn't even know who he is."

"Try and shift some of the rocks so that we can get through. In the meantime, me and Harry will try and find Ginny."

After receiving an approval from Ron, Daniel and Harry continued their journey. After a short walk, they reached the end of the tunnel which had a vault door guarded by two snakes. Harry spoke the password in Parseltongue and the snakes' eyes gleamed as the door opened, granting the Potter brothers entrance to the true Chamber of Secrets. The Chamber was very tall, being held up by dozens of snake statues. Daniel whimpered behind him. At the other end of the Chamber was a tall statue of a monkeyish man and at its feet was Ginny.

Daniel rushed forward, but Harry held back, something was off here. Looking around the Chamber, he couldn't see either the Basilisk or the Heir, where were they? He slowly walked over to Daniel, who was trying to revive Ginny, still looking around the dark Chamber.

"She won't wake," came a soft voice.

A tall sixteen year old boy with black hair was watching them. Even in the dark, Harry could see the serpent crest on his robes. No doubt this was the Heir of Slytherin, but Harry had never seen him before, who was he? Daniel answered that question for him.

"Tom? Tom Riddle?"

Harry was confused. Helena had told him that Tom Riddle had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago, yet here he was, looking not a day older than sixteen. Something wrong was definitely going on around here. Looking closer, Harry could see the resemblance between Tom, him, and his brother. Yet Tom looked strangely different than anyone else, he was blurred around the edges, like he was having difficulty seeing him. Was he a ghost? That would explain why he didn't look like he had aged fifty years.

Tom seemed to be able to read Harry's mind because he answered, "I'm a memory, preserved in a diary for fifty years." He pointed towards a familiar black book. The same book Daniel had before it was stolen and Harry had Neville try and steal. Harry's worry started to grow. Daniel tried to persuade Tom to help them, but he showed no sign in wanting to.

"How did Ginny get like this?"

At Daniel's question, Harry looked at Ginny. She was quite pale, almost deathlike. He looked back at Riddle, who had an unnatural smile on his face.

"It's a very interesting story, but the answer is because little Ginny Weasley had been writing to me, in my diary for months now. She told me all of her worries and woes, about her brothers tease her, coming to Hogwarts with secondhand things, and how the good, great Daniel Potter wouldn't even look at her, despite all of the attention she gave him. It's been very annoying listening to the troubles of an eleven-year-old girl, but I was sympathetic and kind and wrote back to her. She ended up pouring her soul into me, which was exactly what I wanted. I began to feed her some of _my_ secrets, and because of it, she opened the Chamber of Secrets."

Daniel had a horrified look on his face, but everything was slowly starting to move into place for Harry. Small clues were now falling into place. Tom Riddle really was the Heir of Slytherin and had framed Hagrid fifty years ago, and used Ginny this time because he was unable to for some reason. The diary held the key. Meanwhile, Tom's story continued.

"Stupid little Miss Weasley began to stop trusting her diary after a while. She tried to dispose of it and then you came in. Ginny told me all about your fascinating history, how at one year old you survived the darkest wizard to ever walk to face of the earth. I knew that I had to meet you, talk to you if I could, so of course I showed you the capture of Hagrid to gain your trust. I'm still surprised that even after all of these years, people still think that oaf had the brains or the power to open the Chamber."

"I knew!" Both Riddle and Daniel turned to Harry. "The Grey Lady told me all about you at Hogwarts, especially your capture of Hagrid. I knew right away that he hadn't done it. And I bet I'm not the only one."

"Daniel Potter's little brother. Little Ginny told me about you too, how kind you were, how caring your friends were. It took a while to get my control back over Miss Weasley because of you. I laughed when I got my revenge when Ginny petrified your little Mudblood friend."

Harry's blood boiled when he insulted Hermione. He gripped his wand, ready to attack Riddle, but he didn't notice, already going back to Daniel.

"Your brother is right of course. Professor Dumbledore knew it wasn't Hagrid, he was already suspecting me. I knew it wasn't safe to open the Chamber while still at school with him watching me. So I created this little diary to get someone to do the dirty work for me. But I'm no longer concerned with attacking muggleborns when the biggest question is how you escaped being killed by Lord Voldemort."

"Why do you care how I escaped, Voldemort was after your time."

Riddle's smile turned very nasty. Using Ginny's wand, her wrote his full name in the air. Then, with a wave of the wand, the truth was revealed; Tom Marvolo Riddle was Lord Voldemort. He then began to gloat, insulting his own father and Dumbledore, claiming his powers were the strongest in the world because he had chased Dumbledore out of the castle as a memory.

"You're not the greatest sorcerer in the world, its Albus Dumbledore. And he's not as gone as you might think. Not as long as those who remain are loyal to him."

Daniel's words seemed to scare Riddle a bit. Suddenly the Chamber was filled with a beautiful song and a large red bird flew into the Chamber. Recognizing a phoenix from pictures, Harry watched Fawkes fly around the Chamber, his song filling him with hope. Making one final circle, he dropped the old Sorting Hat into his arms before landing on Daniel's shoulder. He stared at the objects before launching into a loud laugh that shook the Chamber.

"Now boys, let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, heir of Salazar Slytherin against the Potter Brothers." He then spoke to the statue in a hiss, summoning the monster.

"Run Daniel, he's summoning a Basilisk! Keep your eyes closed or you will die."

Both boys took off running, and Fawkes took to the air. Ducking behind a pillar, Harry heard the beast crash onto the floor of the Chamber.

"_Kill the boys!"_

Riddle's voice was now cold and high; it sounded just like Voldemort from last year. He could hear the Basilisk moving on the ground, heading away from him, towards Daniel. He knew neither of them stood a chance against a Basilisk, but he had to rescue his brother. Remembering the Hat in his hands, and knowing that Fawkes wouldn't have brought it if it wasn't useful, he slammed it on his head as asked for help.

Surprisingly, the Hat answered. _"This may be of some use to you. Remember the story."_

Taking off the Hat, Harry looked inside. There was a small silver disk. Holding it in his palm, he didn't know how this would help against the King of the Serpents when it started to grow. Suddenly in his hand wasn't a small disk, but a large silver shield. Fawkes flew down and grabbed the Hat. Remembering the story of Perseus and Medusa, Harry leaped around the pillar, shouting.

He knew his shouting had caught the attention of the Basilisk, he could feel its gaze even hidden behind the shield. There was a loud screeching sound and all movement stopped. Knowing it was stupid; Harry peeked out from behind the shield and saw the Basilisk with his own two eyes. It was enormous, bright and poisonous green with a body as thick as an oak tree. It eyes were bright yellow and unmoving. Hearing a hissing noise, Harry first thought that the snake was still alive, but realized it was coming from his shield. The Basilisk's gaze had melted the shield, but upon looking at its reflection, the beast was petrified; ironic.

Behind it he could see Daniel with a long, gleaming silver sword with large rubies in the handle. Seeing the snake frozen, Daniel charged, and with one quick slice, the Basilisk was beheaded, just like Medusa from Greek mythology. Riddle's screams of fury rang throughout the Chamber, his face full of uncontained rage as he looked at the remains of his ancestor's great creature.

"I'LL KILL YOU FOR THAT!" He pointed his wand at Daniel and was prepared to fire a curse when Harry fired his own spell at him. Riddle quickly turned his attention towards the threat while Harry shouted at Daniel to destroy the diary. Fear flooded through Riddles face as he watched Daniel run towards the diary. He once more turned but was unable to stop Daniel from stabbing the diary with the sword. With a dreadful, piercing scream, Tom Riddle vanished in an explosion of gold light.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you all liked this end of Riddle. As you may have noticed, I have a thing for mythology, and I will be putting some parts of it in my story, but only where it's creditable, like Fluffy or the Basilisk. A reminder, Harry couldn't get the sword because he's not a Gryffindor, and the shield was just a plain shield, nothing special or magical about it, it's just a simple silver shield. Just one more chapter in second year and it's on to the summer and some major plot points. Hurray!<strong>


	22. Chapter 22

**In honor of the release of Deathly Hallows Part 2, I'm posting this chapter earlier than I planed, enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Harry stared at the place the spirit of Tom Riddle vanished, his screams still ringing in his ears. It was hard to believe that such a boy had become one of the most feared and dangerous dark lords ever. During his search for information on Tom Riddle, he had discovered that the boy had been exceptionally gifted in magic, inspiring Harry. Now all Harry felt for Riddle was disgust and hatred. A soft moan brought Harry out of his thoughts.<p>

Over by the statue, little Ginny Weasley was stirring. Daniel, being closer, immediately rushed to her side. He saw her eyes travel from the headless Basilisk to Harry, the diary, still speared by the sword, and finally on Daniel. She then began to break down in her hero's arms, sobbing about how sorry she was and how Riddle made her open the Chamber and attack students. While Daniel tried to comfort the distraught girl, Harry walked around the Chamber, gathering the necessary items needed to prove the outlandish story. He paused at the remains of the shield, but saw it next to useless and not worth carrying back up, and left it where he dropped it.

Ginny was now sobbing about being expelled and how she had wanted to come to Hogwarts forever. Daniel was still unable to comfort her, so Fawkes started singing softly. This managed to get her to calm down enough and the three walked to the exit. After the doors closed, Harry, knowing Voldemort might try to get back in, sealed the Chamber of Secrets with a hissed command that unnerved both Daniel and Ginny. The silence of walking back was broken only by soft sobs from Ginny as she pondered her fate. Harry knew that Daniel, as a friend of the Weasley family, would try to protect Ginny, and Harry would help him, for his young friend. He also knew that Dumbledore wouldn't expel her, if he was back already.

They had reached the rock wall and Ron had shifted the rock enough such that they could barely get through. Fawkes flew through first, much to Ron's surprise, and then they pushed Ginny through, then Daniel, who had difficulty with the sword in his belt, and finally Harry, who carried the destroyed diary. While Ron was hugging Ginny to death, Harry and Daniel went to Lockhart, who had lost his entire memory.

"What's going to happen to him?" Harry asked his brother.

"He would have most likely been charged by the Wizengamot, the Wizarding Court, for illegal use of Memory Charms. He most likely would have spent several years in Azkaban for each use, and the money he earned would have been distributed among his victims. However, as he's lost his memory, they will put him in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries until he gets his memory back. That could take a while as he tried to wipe out our entire memories, and the Charm is used for making people forget certain memories. It's likely he'll never be charged."

They both stared at their useless Defense Professor. Although Harry thought no one deserved what had happened to him, he also thought that Lockhart had gotten off lightly. With his memory destroyed, his victims would never get justice. Ron and Ginny joined them with Fawkes riding on her shoulder.

"Any idea on how we will get back up there?"

At Ron's question, Fawkes jumped off of Ginny's shoulder and flew towards the pipe. Landing at the end, he shook his tail feathers at them. Understanding, Harry motioned for them to grab him, then taking Lockhart in one hand and Fawkes's tail in the other, Harry rose with the others, flying up the pipe and out of the Chamber of Secrets. In a matter of minutes, they landed back in Myrtle's bathroom, who looked happy and sad to see them still alive.

Fawkes then led the group to Professor McGonagall's office. Daniel entered first, followed by Ron holding Ginny, and finally Harry pushed the dazed Lockhart in before entering himself. There was a scream and a plump red-headed woman who could only be Ron and Ginny's mother pushed Ron off his sister and grabbed her in a death hug. Her balding husband was sitting in his chair in from of McGonagall's desk and both of them where holding their hands over their hearts. Fawkes took off of Daniel's shoulder and flew to Professor Dumbledore, who was standing next to McGonagall's chair.

"You saved her! You saved our daughter! How did you do it?"

Mrs. Weasley had released her daughter to her husband and was now look at the four. Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore also expressed their desire to hear the tale. Both Daniel and Harry placed their objects on McGonagall's desk, and then Daniel explained how he found the diary, what it told him, and how after Hermione's attack, he and Ron had snuck down to Hagrid's cabin. There, they had witnessed the arrest of Hagrid and the removal of Dumbledore. Before leaving, Hagrid had given a cryptic clue about following spiders, which they did a few nights later. He talked about following spiders into the Forbidden Forrest and meeting Aragog, Hagrid's pet Acromantula. Aragog told them about Myrtle and they figured out the Chamber's entrance was in her bathroom. After Ginny's kidnapping, they decided to go for help from the only person they thought could get them into the Chamber: Harry.

Once his name was mentioned, it was Harry's turn to provide the narrative. He told them about hearing about the first time the Chamber was opened from the Grey Lady and how she knew Tom Riddle. He then talked about his failed attempts to find out more about Tom Riddle, believing he knew things about the Chamber that could help the school. After that he went to talking about what happened that night. Mrs. Weasley gave a nod of approval when he mentioned going to Lockhart for help, but then gasped when she heard that he was going to flee and abandon her daughter to the Chamber. She was in for a bigger surprise when she found out the truth about Lockhart and how he tried to erase their memories.

Daniel took over again at the part where he and Harry entered the Chamber, giving the details from his and Tom's conversation that Harry hadn't overheard. Both Weasley adults and Ron were confused on Riddle's part in the story until Daniel told them his true identity. All three screamed at the information despite the fact that Daniel used the phrase You-Know-Who. They then talked about the battle, how Fawkes had dropped the Sorting Hat in Daniel's lap and how the sword came from within. Harry what he did and when he mentioned that the Basilisk petrified itself, Dumbledore's eyes started to twinkle. Daniel concluded the story with the destruction of the diary.

Dumbledore did exactly as Harry expected. He didn't expel Ginny, but he and her father gave her a stern warning about magical objects that think for themselves. Then the elder Weasleys and Ginny went down to the Hospital Wing for some hot chocolate. Professor McGonagall left with them, escorting Lockhart before going down to the kitchens to prepare a feast. Professor Dumbledore dismissed Ron with fifty points for his help in the Chamber of Secrets adventure. Daniel was awarded two hundred points for the killing of a Basilisk and the rescue of Ginny. Harry was given one hundred for his assistance, which pleased Harry as he was actually rewarded this year.

They were interrupted however, by a tall man with long blonde hair. At his feet was a three foot tall creature with spindly arms and legs, an over-sized head with bat-like and large, tennis ball eyes. It was wearing an old pillowcase and carried a rag that the creature was using to clean the man's shoes. Based on the descriptions Neville had given him, Harry assumed this was a house-elf. The man looked just like Draco Malfoy; this had to be his father.

Mr. Malfoy and Professor Dumbledore had a short conversation where Dumbledore all but accused Mr. Malfoy of secretly giving Ginny Weasley Tom Riddle's diary, along with a threat that other items that belonged to Voldemort would be traced back to him. For some reason, Daniel grabbed the diary and ran after Mr. Malfoy and the elf. Exiting McGonagall's office not long after Daniel, Harry heard shouting. Mr. Malfoy held the diary in one hand and a frown on his face, the elf had a sock and was smiling, Daniel was smirking at Mr. Malfoy. The shouting was interrupted by Lily Potter. Mr. Malfoy left quickly, as did Harry. He could hear Professor Potter yelling at Daniel the entire way down to the Great Hall.

The feast to celebrate the final closing of the Chamber of Secrets was one of the loudest Harry had ever been to. Students from all of the tables, even Slytherin, were celebrating the end of the terror. The attacked students showed up half-way through. Hermione gave Harry a bone crushing hug that didn't go unnoticed by Lisa Turpin. Harry was even apologized to more times than he could count, both for being suspected as the Heir, and congratulated for helping to defeat the Basilisk. The celebration got even louder when it was announced that exams were cancelled as a school treat, much to Hermione's dismay. There was even loud cheering when they were told Professor Lockhart had been sacked, mainly from the guys. All in all, it wasn't a bad end of the year for Harry.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, end of year 2. Year 3 may be a while as it's still in the writing process. However, just about everything is figured out for the entire story, I just need a good last name for an ancient pureblood family. Special reconition for the best one.<strong>


	23. Chapter 23

**I probably should've been a bit more specific for the pureblood name. I'm getting ready to introduce an ancient pureblood family with a special power that I'm not going to reveal outside the story. The family is neither dark nor light, but has been used by both sides. I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

><p>Albus Dumbledore sat in his office, the diary of Tom Riddle in his hands. Harry Potter had surprised him this year; first the boy used Parseltongue at the Dueling Club, a trait from Lord Voldemort, then he was found at a scene of an attack. With that, Dumbledore suspected that Harry really was going dark and had asked Professors Snape and Flitwick to watch him. What really surprised him though, was that Harry managed to figure out what Slytherin's monster was in half a year, while Dumbledore had been searching for fifty years. Being a Parselmouth did help though.<p>

Finally, Harry had helped Daniel rescue Ginny Weasley, a girl, who to Dumbledore's knowledge had no connection to Harry. This was obvious evidence that maybe Harry wasn't going dark after all. He had even managed to disable the Basilisk in the most unusual way, allowing Daniel to destroy the beast. Then, he had attempted to duel a sixteen-year-old spirit of Voldemort, which allowed Daniel to destroy the diary. Although the boys were even so far, there was no telling how powerful both would be and having Harry on their side would greatly help the light, even if he wasn't the chosen one. However, the diary in his hands was more important than the younger Potter. _What have you done Tom?_

On the train, Harry, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna managed to get a compartment to themselves, just like the ride to Hogwarts. Unlike last time, Ginny was much happier and more talkative, though she still blushed a bit when Harry talked to her. Most of the way they played Exploding Snap and compared the Muggle and Magical Worlds. Before they separated, Harry's friends once again promised to write him, this time with Ginny and Luna promising as well.

Harry's summer was unusually quiet, the Dursleys starting to avoid him. Uncle Vernon only talked to him during meals, and conversations with his Aunt Petunia were rather short. He suspected this was because they were reminded of the fact that Harry was a wizard, and that as normal people, they hated anything to do with magic, though it was hard to start hating someone that you've been familiar with for almost twelve years. The only thing that kept the summer from being boring was his summer chores around the neighborhood, homework, and the weekly letters from his four friends.

Like he had been doing in the past, Harry worked odd jobs all over the neighborhood, though since he was getting older, he was hired for different jobs and got paid a bit more. His friends' letters were the most interesting thing for him during the summer. Luna talked about many of the strange creatures she and her father traveled all over searching for and may not exist. Ginny's letters were short and not very often, but they did contain some info on what their brothers were doing, and how Ginny was left out. Her latest said that they had won some sort of magical lottery and were going to visit her older brother in Egypt. Neville's weren't very detailed, but he did talk about some of the new plants he got. He also invited Harry over after their birthdays. Hermione's letters were almost full length novels, detailing how excited she was to start her new subjects, how her homework was going, and how her trip to France was.

The night before his thirteenth birthday, Harry stayed up late working on his long History of Magic essay. Just that night, Harry learned more on medieval times than two years under Professor Binns. Because they had cancelled the exams last year, he knew he had to work twice as hard to beat Hermione to the top of the class this year. He had gotten an extra roll of parchment when he looked up at the clock to see it was one in the morning. Taking a quick break to give his eyes a rest, Harry almost didn't hear the tapping on his window. Outside were six owls, waiting to get in, with birthday wishes from his friends.

First up was his loyal owl Hedwig, carrying a letter from Hermione. She was enjoying her vacation in France, which meant she was doing extra work. Her history essay was now longer than Harry's and she wasn't even done with it yet, he still had a lot of catching up to do. She had also sent a book called _The Magical History of Europe: 1200 to 1980_.

Next up was Luna's small owl with a year's subscription to her father's magazine _The Quibbler_. She said that she and her father were in Germany looking for Crumpled-Horned Snorkacks. Her owl also held Ginny's present as she was in Egypt. She had sent Harry's favorite sweet; a box of Sugar Quills.

Neville, believing Harry wanted to try out for the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team, had sent a book on popular Quidditch moves. Harry smiled at the book, planning on trying some of the moves once he got back to Hogwarts. Since his first year, Harry had discovered he was a natural flyer on a broom. With this book, Harry's chances of making the team increased. Next was an owl that flew off once he got the small card from it. It was a birthday card for Lisa Turpin, wishing him a happy birthday.

The fourth owl was from Hogwarts and contained his book list for his upcoming third year. Also included was a form for his relatives to sign to visit the nearby village of Hogsmeade. He had heard some amazing things about Hogsmeade from older students, and was excited to finally visit the village.

The final owl was older and bigger than the others. It reminded Harry of some of the family owls he had seen in the Great Hall, though he had never seen this owl at Hogwarts. It had a small case and a letter which simply read _To Harry_. He opened it slowly and cautiously and began to read.

_To my darling Harry, _

_I can only imagine what you have been told of me by my sister. I am writing to you now to try and reconnect with you after our separation all those years ago. Know that I did not want to give you up, and now that I know the truth, I wish to share it with you. After the attack that fateful Halloween night, Professor Dumbledore told your father and me that you were a squib and that you had to be placed with your Muggle relatives for your own safety. I protested deeply at this but Dumbledore managed to persuade you father, and together they tricked me into giving you up and then made me forget all about you. They never imagined that you would show up to Hogwarts._

_When you finally did, I couldn't recognize you because of their spellwork. During the winter holidays of your first year I confronted your father about you and he told me what he and Dumbledore had done. Though I can never forgive your father for what he's done, I still love him and Daniel. I then spent the next year and a half observing you and I couldn't be more proud of you, what you've done in your first and second years are truly amazing, though I also feared greatly for you. Miss Lovegood has told me a lot about you, including your desire to try out for your House Quidditch Team, like your father and brother before you. Although I never had a great love for the game I have included something that will help you. Think of it as a present for all of the missed birthdays and Christmas that were stolen from us._

_Love, _

_Your Loving Mother, Lily Marie Potter_

* * *

><p><strong>OK, I've finally finished writting third year, though it is short, it's only about four chapters and most of them are kind of short lengthed. I will so get started on fourth year and then the real fun begins. Read and review please.<strong>


	24. Chapter 24

Harry stared at his first and only letter from his mother. Many emotions filled Harry up, anger at his mother for contacting him, hatred for Dumbledore and his father for what they did to her, pity for what happened, and guilt for ignoring her these past two years. He felt tears on his cheeks, wither they were of joy or sadness didn't matter to him now. Looking at it again, Harry noticed a P.S.; _Beware of Peter Pettigrew_.

Not knowing who Peter Pettigrew was, Harry put down the letter and picked up the case. It was a little long, thin, and wrapped in brown paper. It reminded him of a wand case. Harry ripped off the paper and the mahogany case inside grew. Because of its new size, Harry thought he knew what was in it and was proven right when he found a brand new broom inside. Slowly and carefully taking it out, he saw it was a Cleansweep 7, a broom close to the standard of the Nimbus 2000 which Daniel had. Although it was slower than the Nimbus, it had much better maneuverability and could almost match it for speed with a good tail wind. Lily Potter was right; this broom could help Harry a great deal in Quidditch tryouts.

Harry put the broom back in its case, which automatically reshrunk to its smaller size for easier transport. He then put the case on his desk with his initials H.J.P. showing up, and then placing the letter beside it. Smiling, Harry went to bed as it was quite late. His mother's warning about Peter Pettigrew was revealed the next morning. An owl carrying the morning _Daily Prophet_ flew in his room and dropped the newspaper on his bed. On the front page was a picture of a short, balding man with a pointed face. Above the picture was the caption: **Peter Pettigrew Escapes Azkaban!** Knowing that Azkaban was supposed to be inescapable, Harry picked up the paper and started to read.

_Peter Pettigrew, one of the most infamous prisoners of Azkaban, has reportedly escaped from the dreaded prison. Pettigrew was imprisoned in Azkaban twelve years ago after being caught by Auror Sirius Black, friend and partner to James Potter, for leaking secrets to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and for betraying the Potters to him as well. The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, believes Pettigrew escaped to kill Daniel Potter, the one who vanquished his master, as Pettigrew has been heard muttering about Hogwarts in his sleep. The Potter Family and Auror Black have already been warned about Pettigrew's escape and desires and Albus Dumbledore has agreed to post Dementors at the entrance to the school for protection. Muggles have also been warned of Pettigrew's escape. The public is reminded that, although he isn't very smart, Pettigrew is a dangerous criminal and if spotted, please contact the Ministry of Magic immediately. _

Harry threw the article down; he now understood his mother's warning. If it hadn't been for Pettigrew, he would have grown up with his mother and father, not with his aunt and uncle, though he did love them. His mother wouldn't have been forced to give him up and he and his brother would be completely normal wizards. He hated Pettigrew, more than he hated Voldemort. Voldemort may have attacked them that night, but Pettigrew was responsible for the whole thing.

Still angry, Harry went down to breakfast. Pettigrew was on the T.V., labeled as an escaped Muggle convict. Vernon made his usual comments on criminals while Petunia looked out the window, hoping to be the one to call the hotline number for the reward that was offered for information on Pettigrew. He saw no need to inform them of Peter's real identity. Thoughts of Pettigrew was driven from his mind when Uncle Vernon mentioned someone worse; Aunt Marge.

Although she wasn't his aunt, he had called her such out of respect. Marge had never really liked Harry, but tolerated him because he made the Dursleys look good. She believed breeding made a person, and the higher pedigree, the better the man. She took great pleasure in insulting Harry and his family, no offense to Petunia of course. As he didn't care for his family, he allowed her to insult them as much as she wished which made her pleased and insulted him less.

An hour later, Aunt Marge had arrived with Harry least favorite animal and Marge's favorite dog, Ripper. Although he didn't mind animals, Harry and Ripper hated each other with a passion. Within moments of arriving, Aunt Marge was cuddling Dudley and ignoring Harry, much to his pleasure. Some they were in the living room sipping tea, with Ripper drinking out of Marge's cup. They were talking about schooling, how Dudley's was doing and how Harry was making the Dursley's proud, to Marge's slim displeasure.

The entire week was unpleasant for Harry and Marge took great delight in ridiculing his parents, her favorite subject was his mother. She continued blaming it all on breeding, 'if there's something wrong with the bitch, there'll be something wrong with the pup'. This wouldn't have bothered Harry in the past, but the letter from his mother had changed that. He didn't mind the comments on his father as he felt he deserved it for what he did to his mother, though everything she said on Lily Potter now made Harry's blood boil, still no offense to Petunia's family. By the end of the week, Harry's anger was barely contained.

On the last evening, Harry felt that it was best if he left the Dursleys for now. He had already sent a letter to Neville, asking if he could stay the rest of the summer. He had dragged his trunk into the front hall when he heard Aunt Marge once again in her _expert_ opinions on breeding. Tonight she was in rare form, drunk as a mule, having downed six glasses of brandy during diner. He had walked in the dining room to say good-bye when Marge made a particularly vulgar comment on his mother. Unable to contain his anger any longer, he shouted at Aunt Marge.

"Shut up! Just shut up about things you don't even know about!"

All four Dursleys looked at Harry, both Vernon and Marge were red-faced at Harry's outburst. Marge looked like she was swelling to say something insulting to him, but then he realized she was actually swelling. It took Vernon and Petunia a couple of seconds to realize what was happening, but by then it was too late. By the time they knew what was going on Marge was three times her usual size and Harry was already out the door with his stuff.

Harry furiously walked down Privet Drive dragging his trunk. It was several minutes until he was calm enough to know that he had to get to Neville's and get everything sorted out. Sticking out his wand arm, the purple, triple-decker Knight Bus pulled up. Giving Stan the address of Longbottom Manor, Harry was off.

Neville and his grandmother were happy to receive Harry as their guest, though once Harry told Augusta Longbottom why, she was slightly less pleased. She sent word to the Ministry and they had a response in ten minutes. A representative arrived to tell them that Aunt Marge had been found, punctured, and had her memory modified. The Dursleys were also very upset but willing to take Harry back. He was also given an official warning by the Improper Use of Magic Office from the Ministry about doing magic in front of Muggles. Other than that, Harry felt he got off pretty light.

Later in the month, Harry, Neville, and Mrs. Longbottom went to Diagon Alley to purchase their school supplies. They both got new robes, potion ingredients, and books for their new courses. The both got _The Monster Book of Monsters_ for Care of Magical Creatures and _Intermediate _Transfiguration, and _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade _Three. Neville got _Unfogging the Future_ for Divination while Harry got _Spellman's Syllabary_, _Ancient Runes Made Easy_, and _The Rune Dictionary_ for his Study of Ancient Runes class. Harry also got a surprise at Gringotts when he found out that his trust vault had been refilled. The Goblins mentioned the money was part of a transfer from the Potter Family Vault.


	25. Chapter 25

**OK, when writting some of year 3's chapter, I noticed that they were shorter than I usually had them, so I made a change. Now, instead of third year being five chapter, it's now three chapters, I combined some of the chapters together. As a result, we will get through year 3 faster, but I won't update as much because I'm falling behind on my chapters, the next update will be either Monday, Tuesday, or Wendesay of next week.**

* * *

><p>Harry and the Longbottoms arrived at Kings' Cross ten minutes before eleven. They quickly boarded the Hogwarts Express and found Ginny and Luna sharing a compartment. They were shortly joined by Hermione and were off to Hogwarts yet again. The girls told them all about their vacations to different countries while Harry and Neville told them about their summer. Harry got an earful from Hermione about his Aunt Marge, though she relented a bit when she heard more about her. Ginny also told them how her family had arrived early with Daniel being escorted by their new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, another friend of the Potters Remus Lupin.<p>

After talking about their summers, the conversation turned to the coming school year. Hermione and Ginny were shocked at Lily's letter and the gift she sent while Luna just smiled. While at Neville's, Harry had practiced many of the moves from the book Neville got him, planning on trying out for the Seeker position on the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team. Everyone offered him words of encouragement. Ginny and Luna provided information on Lily Potter, as they had her for Potions last year. They hadn't brewed many potions but had instead focused on the ingredients of potions and gotten many essay assignments on ingredients and brewing techniques.

They were also interrupted a couple of times. First was by Draco Malfoy and his goons, also offering encouragement and warning him that he was still better. Second was the trolley witch, offering sweets for the train ride. Harry bought them all something using some of the new money he got. Lisa Turpin also showed up, blushing as she said hello to Harry. He felt himself blushing as well as he said hello back. The final time was late in the train ride. It was very dark and rainy when they suddenly stopped, the lights flickering out. Everyone was slightly worried, and Harry could feel an unnatural cold flow through him. Outside the compartment, he could see a tall figure dressed in black. He could hear voices; two of them were his aunt and uncle's. Then there was a bright blue light and the figure, the cold feeling and voices disappeared.

Looking around the compartment, Harry could see that everyone was uncomfortable. Luna's eyes were completely focused, not their usual dreamy state, Hermione and Neville were shivering a bit while the latter held Ginny, whose eyes were closed with fear and was shaking like mad. The compartment door opened and a young man with greying, light brown hair, shabby wizard's clothes, and an ill look on his face was standing there. He started handing out chocolate after looking them over, his eyes staying on Harry's face for a brief moment, before leaving to check on other students. After a couple of minutes, the Hogwarts Express was moving again.

It wasn't long after that they were at Hogwarts with the rain pouring harder than ever. In the wet Entrance Hall, Professor McGonagall called Hermione over before dismissing Harry and Neville to their tables. The Sorting was over by the time not only Hermione and McGonagall returned, but Daniel came with them.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts!" Professor Dumbledore had stood and was giving them his usual Welcoming Speech. He told them a bit of information on the Dementors that had searched the Hogwarts Express. Harry did not like the Dementors one bit. He then welcomed Professor Lupin, the man who gave them the chocolate, as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Hagrid for Care of Magical Creatures. During the feast, Harry kept sneaking glances at Lisa, who was across from him, and blushed when she was caught him, not knowing that she was doing the same. Even since her Valentine last year, he had been unable to look at her without his face going red.

The next morning, Harry's schedule said that this year, instead of Potions with Snape, he had it with his mother first thing. Professor Potter started out her class with an introduction of herself and what was expected in her class, then a quiz on basic potions ingredients. Afterwards, she began a lecture over the quiz which lasted the rest of the lesson and then assigned two rolls of parchment for a homework assignment over the Shrinking Solution. After class, Harry stayed behind to talk to his mother.

"Professor Potter?"

She looked up smiling, though when she saw Harry, it dimmed a bit. "Hello H…Mr. Potter." The greeting sounded a bit forced. "What can I do for you?"

Harry recognized her voice as one of the voices he heard along with his aunt and uncle's. Nervous about finally talking to his mother, he couldn't speak for a couple of seconds. "I just wanted to thank you, for the broom you sent me."

Professor Potter's smile increased a little bit, her eyes watery. "Of course Harry. It may not make up for all of these years, but I hope that it's a start." She then looked at Harry weirdly. "Your eyes, I just noticed their color. I can't believe…. You better go now, got to get to your next class."

Harry had almost left the classroom when he turned to his mother once more. "In private, can I call you mum?" This time, Lily's eyes filled with tears and could only nod her head in response. Luna was waiting outside for Harry.

"She needed that Harry, greatly," Luna said.

The rest of the week went normally except for some entertainment provided by Draco Malfoy. During his first Care of Magical Creatures class, he insulted a hippogriff which tried to take his arm off, resulting in a heavy scratch that, according to him, made his arm useless for a long while. The result was Draco's father trying to get the hippogriff executed and Hagrid sacked and Draco moaning about the castle. He succeeded in the first, but do to Dumbledore's influence, didn't succeed in the second.

The first weekend was the Ravenclaw Quidditch tryouts. Harry went down with his Cleansweep, Hermione, and Luna. Roger Davis, the Ravenclaw Captain, was holding tryouts for the entire team; Harry was among four people trying out for Seeker. When it was Harry's turn, he was up against Cho Chang, last year's Reserve Seeker. Although she had a little more experience, Harry had the talent and broom to catch two of the three Snitchs, making him the new Seeker and Chang was still the reserve. Harry could hear Davis remarking that if Harry was half as good as his brother, Ravenclaw would definitely win the Quidditch Cup this year.

Harry sat next to Hermione, waiting for the start of their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Because of the abilities of past teachers, Harry was willing to believe that Professor Lupin was even competent. Hermione was reading her course book and Harry was preparing his quill for note taking. Only Daniel and Ron weren't preparing or talking about Professor Lupin, they were sitting in their seats, smirking like the cat that caught the canary. Two minutes into class, Professor Lupin walked in looking a bit better than he had on the train.

"Good afternoon. Put your books away and take your wands out, it's a practical lesson today, follow me."

Harry and Hermione shared a look; they had never had a practical lesson ever. They and the rest of the class followed Lupin out of the classroom and through several corridors to the staffroom. Inside was Professor Snape wearing a frown at the sight of the class. He stood up and left the room with an insult towards Neville, who turned bright red. Lupin went to stand next to an old wardrobe which gave a violent wobble.

"Nothing to worry about, there's just a boggart in there."

Harry remembered reading about boggarts in his Defense book. They were shape-shifters who lived in dark, enclosed spaces. Boggarts were basically the very symbol of fear, even though no one knew what their true form looked like. There were able to change their shape to reflect the very thing their victim feared the most. The book also mentioned that being in a group was best when dealing with a boggart. Hermione said as much when Professor Lupin asked the class about boggarts.

"There is a simple charm to repel a boggart, but it requires force of mind. You have to envision something funny and force it to change with the charm. Laughter is what really finishes a boggart, so focus on something funny. We will practice the charm before we have a go at the boggart, so everyone thing of what frightens you the most and then think of a way to make it funny."

There was some muttering about the class, many had pale faces. Harry didn't know what frightened him, so he didn't know how to make something comical. So everyone was ready and Professor Lupin had Neville come to the front of the class. He looked really frightened and actually paled when Professor Snape walked out of the wardrobe. With a forced stutter, boggart-Snape was forced into clothes that Harry recognized as Augusta Longbottom's. The entire class burst out into laughter at the sight.

One-by-one the rest of the class came forward to face the boggart. Harry soon found out many of his fellow classmate's fears and was treated to a good laughing fest. Parvati, Padma Patil's twin sister, came forward to face a mummy while Padma herself faced a snake. Seamus Finnigan got a banshee while Mandy Brocklehurst was surrounded by darkness. When Hermione got to try the boggart took the form of Professor Flitwick who told her that she was kicked out of Hogwarts for failing an assignment. The result was Hermione screaming her head off and running behind Harry, much to the class's amusement.

Because Hermione was hiding behind him, the boggart's attention was now on Harry. Flitwick transformed into a tall figure dressed in a black cloak; a Dementor. Harry could feel an unnatural cold flow through him while the voices he heard on the train returned. His aunt, uncle, mother, and a man Harry assumed to be his father were talking.

"_What are you doing here, freak?"_

"_We're here to give you our son."_

"_Why would we want the freak, you freaks?"_

"_He's a squib Petunia, he has absolutely no magic."_

"_What did you say?"_

"_Please take care of him, we're unable too. I can't have a squib in my house."_

"_Fine. We'll take care of the fre….the boy."_

Attempting to push the voices out of his head, Harry focused on the spell he was supposed to be practicing. With a quick _Riddikulus_, the boggart-Dementor tripped over its own cloak and fell over. It continued to stumble over the cloak trying to stand up. The class, affected by the cold, slowly started to laugh until Harry could no longer hear the voices or feel the cold.

"Very good Harry, very good."

Even Professor Lupin looked a little pale at the sight of the Dementor, but was slowly getting his color back. Up next was Ron Weasley whose boggart managed to scare quite a few people until he was able use the charm to remove the spider's legs. The legless spider rolled around, stopping in front of Daniel. Professor Lupin moved to get between Daniel and the boggart, but before he could, it transformed. Instead of a spider, a black-haired man Harry recognized as his father was standing where the spider used to be. He looked just like Harry remembered him from two years ago on the train platform, but this time, instead of a large smile, there was a frown on his face.

"Failure! You failed and are useless as a son. You are no longer my son."

The boggart-James's words had a huge effect on Daniel; he fell on his knees and held his head down in shame with what looked like tears in his eyes. It immediately disappeared as Professor Lupin got in front of it. Boggart-James Potter transformed into a large silver-white orb that reminded Harry of the full moon they studied in Astronomy class, and then it was a balloon and was back in the wardrobe.

"Excellent! Well done everyone. Five points to everyone who successfully took on the boggart and ten points to Miss Granger for answering my questions on boggarts. For your homework, please read the chapter on boggarts and summarize it, due next week."

Things were progressing normally at Hogwarts; it was basically the same as last year except for a few differences. First were Harry's new courses; Care of Magical Creatures was boring after the Hippogriff Incident, though Ancient Runes made up for that. Second were the changes in their current courses; DADA was more fun now and Potions was more informative but he had more homework and also it was harder, much to Daniel's and Ron's dismay. Third was Harry's new position as Seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team. Most of the team had Cleansweep 7s and Harry's natural talent more than made up for his inexperience. After every practice, Davies was smiling big; no doubt imagining holding the Quidditch Cup. Harry also had weekly talks with his mother in which they learned more about each other. Harry knew she wanted him to live with the rest of the Potter family, but Harry couldn't because of the way his father treated his mother and him as well as Daniel's attitude.

The first Hogsmeade trip was coming up and everyone except Daniel was excited. With Peter Pettigrew at large, he had been denied permission to visit the village. Lily Potter had also tried to persuade Harry not to visit the village, but she knew that barging into his life like that would ruin the small relationship they had, so she stopped trying after the second time. Harry had gotten his aunt to sign the slip the day he got it, which was lucky as he doubted the Dursley's would have signed it after the Aunt Marge Incident.

Harry went down with Neville and Hermione on Halloween. As they pasted the Dementors, Harry could feel the unnatural cold all around him and the voices in his head, stronger than when he faced the boggart. It took him a little while to pass, but soon he was in Hogsmeade Village. The trio visited many of the shops including Honeydukes, Tomes and Scrolls, and Dervish and Banges, completing the visit to the pub The Three Broomsticks.

Afterwards they returned to Hogwarts for the Halloween Feast which was as delicious as ever, even with all the sweets they had eaten earlier in the day. The Great Hall was entertained by hundreds of bats flying all over, performing complicated maneuvers, and the Hogwarts ghosts putting on various performances including the popular story _The Fountain of Fair Fortune_, starring Sir Nicholas and Helena Ravenclaw, to the latter's immense pleasure. After the Feast, Harry was just beginning to lay down to sleep when one of the prefects told him and his dorm mates to head back down to the Great Hall as quickly as possible. Once down there, everything was revealed, Peter Pettigrew had somehow broken into the castle and attack the portrait to the Gryffindor Common Room. Now the entire school was being searched while all of the students were to sleep in the Great Hall that night.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, Peter breaks into Hogwarts to get at Daniel, though this with be one of the last references to the third book. I'm not going to spend much time in third year so I have only a couple more chapters here before we go into the much anticipated fourth year. By the way, Daniel's boggart is failure, just so you know. All of his life he was told he would be the one to defeat Voldemort when he returned, making him arrogant. What most people fail to realize is that Dumbledore and James have trained Daniel up, so he's quite powerful, but still human and completely afraid of being unable to defeat Voldemort. However, I did include a major clue here, it will take a while until I reveal why it is important. I noticed that Wrong BWL fanfics start in one of three places; when Voldemort attacks on Halloween, the start of first year, or the start of fourth year. Now I'm further than most in the first category, hurray. <strong>


	26. Chapter 26

**I am sorry for the late posting, due to circumstances beyond my control I was unable to post when I wanted. However, because of the delay, I now have the family name I wanted, which I will reveal next chapter. I also have a rant I want to get out. First off, while I appreciate people pointing out some of my plot holes, it does get annoying after a while. Second, to those who tell me what they would've done or what they would've had Harry do, remember, this isn't a story about you or by you, so please stop including that in your reviews. If you don't like it write your own story. Now that my rant is over, on with the story. I do not own anything of Harry Potter.**

* * *

><p>For the rest of the week, all anyone could talk about was how Peter Pettigrew got into the castle. The day after Halloween, two men in robes which showed they were Aurors entered the Hall. Harry recognized his father and the other man with him could only be his partner Sirius Black. They talked with Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Lupin, and Potter all morning before leaving. He noticed that James Potter gave him a quick glance before walking over to his eldest son.<p>

The day before the usual Gryffindor/Slytherin match everyone was treated to a surprise during breakfast. There was a loud bang from the Slytherin table. Looking up, Harry saw seven Slytherin students had dark green hair with silver stripes going down the middle. Everyone burst out laughing at the joke, but Harry saw that all seven were members of the Slytherin Quidditch Team. Suddenly there was a whole mess of fireworks going off near the ceiling; one wrote words in the air in shiny gold. _Entertainment Provided by the Neo Marauders_.

While Hermione was muttering about childish pranks, Harry looked around the Great Hall. Professor Dumbledore had a large twinkle in his eyes, McGonagall and Flitwick had gone pale, Lily was shocked and angry, but none more than Snape, whose face bore complete fury. Remembering who the pranksters were at Hogwarts, Harry also looked at the Weasley twins, who were giving smiles down their table. Following them, he saw Daniel and Ron silently congratulating themselves.

Professor Snape was very upset about the group called the Neo Marauders, as was visible in that day's Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Instead of Professor Lupin walking into the class, it was Professor Snape. Apparently Lupin was very ill today and would not be able to teach for a couple of days. Snape was just their substitute for now. He had just gotten started on the lack of organization and notes from Professor Lupin when Daniel barged into the classroom and cost Gryffindor twenty points. He then proceed to lecture on werewolves, much to the class's protest as they hadn't gotten that far yet in the book. Harry noticed that Daniel was the most vocal in the protests and that he had gone very pale and was looking around the classroom like a terrible beast was hidden among the desks. More research on werewolves was given for homework, due Monday.

The next day was very horrible weather indeed. Neville had told Harry this was the reason the Slytherin Quidditch Team had been pranked, Malfoy was _STILL_ claiming his arm was too injured to be of use, even two months after the fact. Gryffindor was now playing Hufflepuff in one of the worst storms Harry had ever seen. The entire game, Harry tried to practice looking for the Snitch, but was barely able to even see the other players, much less a very tiny ball. Within an hour, everyone was soaked and many people were fleeing back to the dry, warm castle. With the continuing rain it got colder and colder, but then Harry noticed that the cold was unnatural. Down on the field were dozens of dementors, their combined power making the stands colder than winter. Before Harry passed out, he heard a whistle blow and a bright light coming from somewhere within the stands. The last thing he heard was his mother's voice saying how useless he was.

Harry awoke in the Hospital Wing to the smell of chocolate. Hermione was seated next to his bed, reading one of her large books. At least a dozen other students were in the Hospital Wing as well, either eating or drinking chocolate. Madam Pomfrey did a quick check-up on him before rushing over to a couple of students trying to sneak out of the Hospital. Hermione filled him in on the rest of the game, how Hufflepuff won because Daniel had frozen in midair, how Dumbledore had angrily chased off the dementors from the Quidditch Pitch, and how several students were sent to the Hospital Wing because of the dementors' activities.

Daniel had not been feeling well after the Quidditch match and Lily Potter was fussing about him, worried about his health because of the dementors and about the Marauders. Harry heard her loudly scolding Daniel for restarting the childish group their father had begun when he was at Hogwarts. He had learned that the original Marauders was a pranking gang consisting of James Potter, Sirius Black, Professor Lupin, and the traitor Peter Pettigrew. From third to seventh year, they had pulled massive, complex, and sometimes cruel pranks on the school, but mainly Slytherins, who they also cursed.

Professor Lupin returned to teach on Monday. With the entire class protesting Snape's homework assignment, he promised them that they didn't have to do it, much to Hermione's horror as she had started and finished it Friday night with three rolls of parchment. She wasn't the only one; Harry had also finished his over the weekend and they both had come to a startling conclusion. Hermione had used lunar charts for their Astronomy homework and discovered that the full moon had been Thursday night. Harry had then remembered Lupin's boggart and Daniel's reaction to Snape's announcement that they were studying werewolves. Professor Lupin was a good friend of the Potter family, so Daniel had to know that Lupin was a werewolf. After class, Harry took his and Hermione's essays on werewolves down to Professor Snape.

"Very good, Mr. Potter, it seems that you and Miss Granger have discovered what I wanted your entire class to. Professor Dumbledore forbade me and the rest of the staff from revealing who Remus Lupin really was, however, that doesn't mean you couldn't find out for yourselves."

"No one else did the essay and Professor Lupin canceled it, though Daniel does know."

"Lazy dunderheads, they would complain. I already knew of course that Daniel Potter knew, he probably told his weasel friends. Lupin was hired to protect him from Pettigrew, did you know? That brat doesn't even appreciate my help; I've brewed the Wolfsbane Potion the entire year for Lupin so he's safe. Now that little good-for-nothing has restarted his father's old group, no doubt brought the Weasleys into it as well. I'm willing to bet that his father and Black put him up to it."

"Ginny's not in it, she doesn't even want any part of it. She thinks it's funny of course, but she wants to focus on her school work. I did hear my mother scolding Daniel though."

"She's a good woman, but he's not going to listen. The only one who can knock some sense into him would be someone his own age, someone who could fight fire with fire. I know you're capable Mr. Potter, see what you can do to teach that little ponce a lesson. I give you and whoever you bring into your little group my full permission to humiliate the Neo Marauders the best you can."

Hermione was reluctant to be a part of something so against the school rules, but relented after Harry told her that would only target the Neo Marauders and that it would give her practice with some complicated spells. Luna was in right after they asked her and so was Neville. Ginny gave the same answer that Harry fed to Snape; that she wanted to focus on her school work, much to Hermione's joy. Their first prank left Daniel and the three youngest male Weasleys in Slytherin clothing and hair for a couple of days, to Ron and Daniel's horror. They were even more shocked when Harry completely flew circles around Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff Captain and Seeker, during the Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff Quidditch match in late November.

With the end of the term came winter and Christmas, and with that, his first present he could remember from his own mother. It was a mirror that was capable of allowing two people to communicate like a Muggle telephone with live video. Lily Potter had provided them, saying that they could use them to talk during the summer or when they were unable to talk during the school year. His first use was to thank her, which she much appreciated. There were rumours of Daniel getting a Firebolt, the top broom in the world, for Christmas.

Not long after the start of term, Ravenclaw played Quidditch against Slytherin. The Slytherins needed to beat Ravenclaw to have a chance at the Cup. Harry was preparing really hard to defeat Draco, who had started taunting Harry. When the time came, Harry was more than ready. Roger Davis had really focused on strategy for the Chasers and Beaters; Slytherin was completely unable to make any goals against them. However, the Ravenclaw team also had some trouble scoring because of the rough play the Slytherins did. Finally, Harry caught the Snitch a second before Malfoy, which resulted in Ravenclaw winning two hundred-and-ten to twenty. Malfoy was clearly really upset about the loss. This also meant that Gryffindor was almost completely out of the running for the Quidditch Cup unless they thrashed Ravenclaw in their next match.

Harry was glad to get back to class in January, and they were starting to be more enjoyable. Hagrid's teaching quality started to grow, Lupin's classes were getting more and more interesting with the various creatures they studied, and Lily Potter's Potions class was slowly starting to become more enjoyable to the non-Slytherins, who often complained about Professor Potter's _unfair_ teaching. The only reason anyone else complained in her class was because of the massive amount of homework she assigned.

Hermione was the only one who never complained about the amount of homework she received, although many thought she had more right than anyone. Somehow she was taking one more class than the maximum amount required, which was even then extremely stressful. Harry didn't know how but she was making every single class, never late or absent once, which showed her dedication to school. However, even with the dedication she had, her homework was starting to pile up and she had a habit of snapping at anyone who tried to talk to her, including Harry. Her new pet cat Crookshanks had taken to spending his time with Harry whenever Hermione was studying.

A couple of weeks after the start of term Harry found out that Daniel was being given anti-dementor lessons from Professor Lupin. Lily Potter had told Harry during one of their meetings, and in the attempt of being fair, offered to teach Harry herself as she was a Charms mistress and Lupin was too busy with his illnesses and teaching both Hogwarts students as well as Daniel. Lily, only teaching third years Potions this year, was able to give private lessons. These lessons were scheduled during their meetings. Although he wasn't progressing as fast as Daniel, he was making pretty astounding progress.

The morning of the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw, the Gryffindor team walked down together, acting as an honor guard for Daniel's real Firebolt broomstick. Members of the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin Quidditch Teams, and others from those houses, swarmed the Gryffindor table to examine the Firebolt, though Harry wasn't among them. When Head Girl Penelope Clearwater returned, she begged Harry to win as she didn't want to lose ten Galleons to her boyfriend Head Boy Percy Weasley. Throughout all of breakfast Harry was trying to come up with a strategy to beat the Firebolt as Roger was either too scared or too shocked about facing a Firebolt. The Firebolt was the fastest broom ever made and completely outshone Harry's Cleansweep, he had barely beaten Malfoy during their match.

The weather was amazing, clear and sunny with a little breeze. As he walked across the pitch, Harry noticed that Daniel looked a little nervous to be facing Harry, even with a Firebolt. Madam Hooch had Davies and Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Keeper and Captain, shake hands and then blew her whistle. As he took to the air, Harry had only one thought; he was going to beat Daniel today. The game was really difficult, although the Ravenclaw team had strategy, the Gryffindor team had skill; they were leading fifty to twenty. Harry saw the Snitch and zoomed after it, Daniel not far behind. Daniel quickly overtook him and was soon far ahead. A sudden Bludger stopped Daniel's catch of the Snitch and Gryffindor's victory. Ravenclaw and Slytherin cheered at the move, though Harry was inspired with an idea.

A couple of minutes later, Harry put his plan into action. The previous night Harry had been rereading his Seeker book when he found a dangerous move called the Wronski Feint. It required him to dive really fast and then pull up, out of the dive at the last minute. Harry knew that Daniel had the better broom and was overconfident; both would allow him to pull off this move. He took a quick glance over at Daniel to make sure that he didn't see the Snitch before he made his dive.

"And it looks like Ravenclaw Potter has spotted the Snitch. It won't do him any good as Gryffindor Potter has a Firebolt, and may I say what an excellent broom it is"

Harry tuned out the commentary and took a look back. Daniel was following him, a look on concentration on his face as he raced to get ahead of Harry. Soon Daniel started to overtake Harry again and he put the next step of his plan into action. Daniel had experience and a better broom, so he would follow Harry if he thought he had seen the Snitch. Daniel's superior broom would also allow him to catch up faster, but also reduce the reaction time he was allowed. Harry slowed down and then pulled up suddenly, preventing him from crashing into the ground. Daniel saw this out of the corner of his eye but he was going too fast, he pulled up quickly but the end of his broom hit the ground and he went flying. Harry used the time it took Daniel to get back on his broom to look for the Snitch and saw it near the Gryffindor goal posts.

Harry raced for the Snitch. He was almost there when he heard a sound. Looking behind him, Harry saw Daniel was back in the air and was closing in quickly. Harry knew that Daniel would pass him and get the Snitch. Suddenly, he noticed on the ground, staring up at them, were three tall, black, hooded dementors, though there was something wrong with them. Harry didn't feel the unnatural cold associated with them nor the voices. He then realized that they weren't dementors at all, but Daniel didn't.

"Look, dementors!"

Daniel looked. Distracted, Daniel slowed down and cast a Patronus at the so called dementors. This allowed Harry the time to grab the Snitch and ending the game in Ravenclaw's favour. The Ravenclaw Quidditch Team surrounded Harry and engulfed him while the blue and green sections roared. On the ground he was met with many hugs and shocked faces. He, Harry Potter, had just beaten Daniel Potter on a Firebolt, no one was expecting this. Off to the side he could see Ron and Daniel talking to Professor Lupin, who had a small smile on his face while Ron and Daniel looked really angry. At another point on the pitch was Professor McGonagall ripping into Malfoy and his friends for trying to act like dementors to throw Daniel off his game. Ravenclaw was now in the lead for the Cup, and it would take a miracle for either Gryffindor or Slytherin to win now.

* * *

><p><strong>I have reintroduced the Marauders, but I'm horrible at coming up with prank ideas. I only plan on including a few, but I won't go into detail unless I get ideas. If you want, include some prank ideas (for third years) and I might put them in this story. <strong>


	27. Chapter 27

**OK, here's the latest chapter in my story. This is where I'll reveal the pureblood name that I liked the most. I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

><p>Gryffindor's retaliation against their loss came a week after the game. Harry, who had been told by Neville what Daniel and the Neo Marauders planned to do, had prepared and let slip to Malfoy, who was also a target, what was going on. With a quick nod to Neville to begin his part, Harry took out his wand and began casting his spells along with Hermione. Suddenly there was a loud bang and a lot of smoke from the Gryffindor table. When it cleared, Daniel, Ron, and the Weasley twins had green skin, complete with scales and boils all over, and the words <em>Cheat<em> and _Slimy Snakes_ covering their foreheads.

The entire Hall laughed at what they thought was a Weasley prank gone wrong, and they were half right, Neville had just switched their affected food and drinks with the Neo Marauders', leaving them the victim of their own pranks. Purple and white fireworks popped on the ceiling and left the following message: _Sorry Neo Marauders, but we felt you deserved a taste of your own medicine, courtesy of the Guardians. Have a nice day._ Harry and Hermione had adjusted the Marauders' message so that it fit their needs. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were groaning at the thought of _another_ pranking group, Lupin and Lily just shook their heads, and Snape sent a discreet nod Harry's way.

Much to Daniel's horror, the prank lasted two whole days and cost Gryffindor two hundred points, courtesy of Professor Snape. Harry knew that Daniel would try to retaliate again, but this time he was informed that it would be in the form of the Gryffindor-Slytherin match. As the days until the match went by, Harry noticed that Daniel was escorted everywhere by older Gryffindors, no doubt to protect him from Slytherins who would try to improve their chances by taking out their rival Seeker.

When the day of the match arrived, Harry joined the rest of his team in the stands to watch the game. Depending on the results, most likely Ravenclaw would be presented the Quidditch Cup at the end of the game. It was a dirty match with Slytherin doing all that they could to win, but ultimately Daniel caught the Snitch before Malfoy. Afterwards, Dumbledore presented the Quidditch Cup to a delighted Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, Roger Davies and his team.

After the final match, exams started up. Harry had learned that Hermione had stormed out of Divination in a huff, dropping the class altogether, much to everyone's surprise. However, even this did not stop Hermione's excessive load. Although she was now taking the standard work load, she still was a bit overworked. One day Harry saw Hermione walking out of Professor McGonagall's office, looking much happier and more relaxed. Harry thought the exams went well, getting top marks in each of his classes. Hermione did well too, though Harry thought she might have done better without all of the work she had to do over the year. She also lost points in Defense against the Dark Arts because she was _still_ unable to face her boggart.

A couple of days later they got their results back and Harry proudly displayed his results to Hermione, rubbing in her face that he was now top in their year. Disappointed, she promised Harry that she would take back her spot. The only down side to the end of the year was the execution of the hippogriff that attacked Draco Malfoy in the beginning of the year, much to his pleasure and Ron, Daniel, and Hagrid's disappointment. Peter Pettigrew also hadn't been seen since his attempted entrance to the Gryffindor common room on Halloween. There had been rumored sightings of him in Germany during the Christmas Holidays, but nothing confirmed. Because of all of this, the dementors were removed from Hogwarts, much to many students' pleasure. Harry and Hermione's theory about Professor Lupin was also proven true when Professor Snape _accidentally_ let slip that he was a werewolf, causing him to resign due to dozens of parents' angry letters. After a train ride back to King's Cross, Harry promised to keep in contact with his friends and his mother, before going back to the Dursleys, who didn't look too happy about the fact that Harry was returning.

Harry was correct in assuming that the Dursleys were unhappy to take care of him. From both his mother and his aunt, Harry learned that Petunia had grown jealous of Lily's powers and then hated magic when Lily was accepted into Hogwarts and Petunia was not. Petunia's hatred had been passed to her husband and son, though it was curbed at bit when they found out, or thought, that Harry was a Squib. Their tolerance of Harry had waned starting after he got back from his first year and now Uncle Vernon ignored him completely while Aunt Petunia glared and didn't speak to him unless necessary, Dudley was the same as he always was.

The Dursleys' ignorance of him included his birthday; he only got presents from his friends, mother, and a card from Lisa, who he was hoping to make his girlfriend this year. The Dursleys had also started a diet to help Dudley to fit into his knickerbockers, which were starting to quickly become too small for him. Thankfully, the rest of Privet Drive was ignorant of the Dursley's change towards Harry; he still worked around the neighborhood, and caught a few eyes of the local girls.

Harry also kept in contact with his mother, who informed him of the workings of their family. His father, although somewhat proud of his of talented son, was far more interested in his equally talented _and_ famous son, so still ignored Harry, to Lily's disgust. Sirius Black, Daniel's godfather, was still looking for Pettigrew with a vengeance, although he still stopped by Potter Manor every couple of days. Remus Lupin, who would have been Harry's godfather if he wasn't a werewolf, still lived with the Potters and worked with James Potter, Albus Dumbledore, and sometimes Sirius Black in expanding Daniel's teaching in Defense against the Dark Arts, with Ron Weasley sometimes included. When he wasn't studying, Daniel was either practicing his flying for Quidditch or coming up with prank ideas for next year, despite Lily's protests. The Potters were also preparing to go to the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasleys. Although Harry had been invited by Lily, he didn't want to go and instead would be spending the rest of summer with Neville, whose mother was supposed to be Harry's godmother, increasing his and Neville's friendship.

One morning in mid-August, Harry awoke to a very vivid dream involving Voldemort and someone called Wormtail. Only after thinking for a while did Harry recognize the man from his wanted poster; the escaped Death Eater Peter Pettigrew. He looked just like his poster; short, bald, and pale. Pettigrew was trying to persuade Voldemort of something, but Harry couldn't remember, but it had something to do with him. They had also talked about the death of a Ministry of Magic employee, a death that they caused. Then a huge snake appeared and revealed some old man who Voldemort killed just before Harry awoke to an enormous pain in his lightning-bolt shaped scar. What Harry noticed most of all was that Harry himself was Voldemort, saw what he saw, heard what he heard, and even spoke what he spoke, including the curse that claimed the old man's life. Feeling sick, Harry went to the bathroom and washed out his mouth, like it was extremely dirty, he would never forget the name of that curse. Somehow, both the name of the curse and its light was familiar to Harry.

Harry though about his strange dream for a couple of days, trying to figure out what it meant. The morning after the Quidditch World Cup, Harry opened the _Daily Prophet_ to check the results of the game. Instead of Quidditch, Harry found a picture of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth like a tongue hovering about a line of trees. He recognized it at once; the Dark Mark, the sign of Lord Voldemort. Above the picture was the headline _**Scene of Terror at the Quidditch World Cup**_. Ripping through the article, Harry discovered that after the game, a group of Death Eaters, Voldemort's followers, had attacked the campsite, tortured the Muggle owners, destroyed many tents, and then fled when someone cast the Dark Mark into the sky. Not one of the Death Eaters were captured, nor was the person who cast the Mark, but there were rumors of bodies being removed from the woods where the Mark was cast.

When Harry showed up to the Longbottom's, all he and Neville could talk about was the attack at the World Cup. Neville was worried that the Death Eaters were acting up again and might come after his family again. Everything Harry learned about Voldemort and his reign of terror made him hate the dark wizard even more, the dream coming to the front of his mind often. The two boys also finished their homework together, traded Wizard Cards, with Harry coming close to getting a full set, and made a trip to Diagon Alley for their school supplies which included dress robes, a new _Standard Book of Spells_, and adjustments to their current robes. When Harry stopped by his vault, he was unsurprised to learn that more money had been transferred into it, but this time from a different vault. Instead of the money coming from the Potter Family Vault, it came from the ancient Soleil Family Vault.

Later, when they got back to Longbottom Manor, Harry researched the Soleil Family. They were an ancient pureblood family and had died out around thirteen hundred years ago. Rumors were that they had been eliminated by the descendants of the Slytherin Family over something that was still unknown. Harry had no idea how his mother, for he knew that was who transferred the money, took money from the Soleil Vault. He planned to ask her when he got back to Hogwarts.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the late update, I've been busy getting ready to head back to college. I leave in less than two weeks so I don't know when my next update will be, sorry. Congratulations to Genie05 the second for their pureblood family name idea, it was perfect. More will be revealed in later chapters. <strong>


	28. Chapter 28

**Sorry for the delay, I've been busy packing for my return to school and now I'm back. I don't know when I'll be able to update again, so don't expect another chapter until after the end of the month. I still don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

><p>Harry's group of friends sat in their usual compartment on the Hogwarts Express, talking about their respective summers, which included Luna's vacation to Sweden and Ginny's trip to the Quidditch World Cup. Highlights from the Cup included the hundreds of foreign witches and wizards, to Hermione's dismay, camping like Muggles, hanging out with Mrs. Potter, the game itself where Bulgaria's Seeker caught the Snitch but lost to Ireland, the Death Eaters' attack on the camp grounds, Daniel's wand caught of casting the Dark Mark into the sky, who had really sent the Mark, and Daniel's constant attempts to flirt with her. The relationship between Daniel and Ginny had switched over the summer, now Daniel had a crush on Ginny while Ginny revealed she liked someone else now. She also told them that the Ministry wizard mentioned in the paper was her father and that nobody had been hurt except the Muggle family that owned the campground. To finish up her tale, Ginny revealed that her father and older brother Percy, both who worked at the Ministry of Magic, hinted about something major going on at Hogwarts this year.<p>

They spent the rest of the ride trying to figure out what the special event was, interrupted only Malfoy and Daniel. Daniel and Ron tried to get Ginny to join them in their compartment with Daniel flirting with her, to her and Neville's annoyance. Malfoy followed not long after, having to insult Daniel and Ron, and dropping hints about the event.

When they arrived at Hogwarts, they were pelted by heavy rain. Scrambling to get inside the Great Hall, Harry and his friends couldn't have gotten wetter if they swam in the Black Lake. They slipped past Peeves who was throwing water balloons at everyone who entered. Inside, the left Neville and Ginny and sat at the Ravenclaw table. Harry gave a quick nod to the Grey Lady, who nodded back at him. The staff table was emptier than Harry ever remembered with a number of teachers absent. To Harry, Dumbledore looked more stressed than when he had last seen him. After diner, Harry barely listened to Dumbledore's announcements until he reached the part about the Quidditch Cup.

"…will not take place this year."

Harry, along with every other Quidditch fanatic in the Great Hall, was silent for a few seconds then burst out into loud angry shouts. Before Dumbledore could respond, a man in a long, black cloak with a horrible face, a large blue eye and, a wooden leg opened the door to the Great Hall. Something about the man made Harry a little nervous. He was introduced to them as their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Moody. Harry recognized him as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, the famous Auror who had put dozens of people in Azkaban Prison in the war with Voldemort thirteen years ago.

As if having a famous retired Auror as a professor as a teacher wasn't enough, Dumbledore informed them that Hogwarts was hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year. Harry remembered reading about the Tournament in _Hogwarts, A History_. It was set as a friendly challenge between the three largest and best wizarding schools in Europe. For seven hundred, the Tournament was held every five years at each of the schools, and consisted of three highly challenging and dangerous tasks. Eventually, after a large number of champions had died during the Tournament, including all three participants in 1744, and the death of Durmstrang's Headmaster in 1672, the Tournament was disbanded completely in 1792. The fact that it was reinstated after so long_ was_ a cause of great excitement.

Dumbledore gave an introduction to the Tournament and informed everyone that no one under the age of seventeen would be able to enter their name for consideration. They were also informed of some of the changes made to make the Tournament less dangerous and that the other schools would be arriving in October. Along with the rest of Ravenclaw House, Harry discussed the upcoming Tournament and what it would entail.

The entire first month was normal for Harry and his friends, except without the excitement of Quidditch. Ginny and Neville had taken to walking around Hogwarts in the evening; they said it was because they could stand Daniel's whining about no Quidditch and because of the fact that he wasn't able to be in the Tournament. The Tournament also prevented Harry from talking to his mother. Just about every student who was seventeen or going to turn seventeen by the end of October was going to her for help. Professor Potter was so busy helping other students she didn't know when she'd be able to talk with Harry. Some entertainment came the first week when Professor Moody changed Draco Malfoy into a ferret and bounced him around the Great Hall.

Professor Moody was an unusual teacher; first day he lectured on his experience as an Auror and how they had to practice CONSTANT VIGILANCE. He then spent the next couple of classes having them to research on the many curses out there, specifically the dark ones. They closed that chapter with a double demonstration of the Unforgivable Curses. The first class, Moody gave them the list and demonstrated them on an unlucky trio of spiders. Harry recognized the last curse, the Killing Curse, from his dream about Voldemort earlier in the summer. He also started having weekly nightmares about the green flash made by the curse, screaming, high laughter, and a burning pain on his forehead. For the second class, they had to fight off the Imperius Curse. That had been both an entertaining and enlightening class. While many of his classmates laughed at the outrageous performances done, Harry was the only one not laughing, knowing that his fellow students were being controlled against their will. Harry himself had just barely thrown off the curse and got Ravenclaw twenty points, Daniel had been subjected to it six times and was still unable to beat it, which made him ever more unbearable, according to Ginny.

Daniel's attempts to ask her out were still in full swing, but he didn't help his case much by insulting her friends, like Luna, excessive bragging, complaining, or being told by her brother, whom Daniel had gone to for help, that they would make the perfect pair. Angry at things not going his way at all, Daniel took his frustration out the only way available; the Neo Marauders. Nearing the end of October, Harry was exhausted in trying to either prevent or retaliate against Daniel's pranks, which were focused on nearly all Slytherins daily, Hufflepuffs weekly, more if Cedric Diggory was mentioned as Hogwarts's Champion, and Ravenclaws, also weekly. So far, the only Gryffindor pranked was Neville for his time spent with Harry and Ginny, though mostly Ginny.

On the night of the thirtieth, Harry stood outside along with the rest of Hogwarts, waiting for students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to arrive. Beauxbatons arrived first in a large flying carriage and headed by a woman the size of Hagrid. Her students followed and immediately started shivering in the cold because of their silk robes. They quickly went into Hogwarts as a large ship emerged from the Black Lake. From it came the Durmstrang students, all dressed in thick furs, and all looked quite comfortable. Hogwarts let their guests enter first before seating in the Great Hall themselves. Durmstrang took a seat at the Slytherin table, much to Malfoy's joy because Quidditch Star Victor Krum was with them, while the Beauxbatons sat with the Ravenclaws. On the tables were the usual spread, but here and there were some foreign dishes, one of which was so heavily fought over that one of the French girls went to go get one from the Gryffindor table. Harry noticed that as she walked around the Great Hall, she drew many eyes from guys all over.

_There's something different about her_, though Harry. He too stared, but not as much as most of the other guys, who were starting to get in trouble with their girlfriends if they looked too long. With long blond hair, and light blue eyes, she was certainly pretty, but something about her just threw Harry off.

Once dinner had been finished, Professor Dumbledore introduced both the other heads Madame Maxime and Professor Karkaroff as well as Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Relations, and Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Then, Mr. Filch brought in a large wooden chest, from out of which Dumbledore took a large wooden goblet filled with dancing blue fire.

"This is the Goblet of Fire," Dumbledore explained slowly. "Those who wish to be chosen to represent your school only need to place their name in the Goblet. I shall personally draw an Age Line to ensure that no one under the age of seventeen attempts to enter."

With this, as well as a few more grumbles about the age restriction, everyone went to bed. The next morning was highly entertaining as no fewer than a dozen students, Fred, George and Ron Weasley along with Daniel and Lee Jordan included, tried to put their names in the Goblet only to be knocked out of the Age Line with long white beards that made them look like Professor Dumbledore. Harry's morning was complete with Daniel getting a long scolding by their mother and then being told that he had to wear the beard the rest of the day as punishment for trying to enter the Tournament.

As it was Saturday and they didn't have any classes, Harry thought that it would be the perfect time to finally talk to his mother. As if she was expecting this, Lily Potter was sitting at her desk, waiting patiently, when he entered.

"So sorry about the wait Harry, it's just with the Triwizard Tournament many students remembered that I'm not just a teacher of Potions, but a Professor here to give academic advice. Naturally, they asked for help in preparing for the Tournament, which I was glad to give, but once it starts I can't help the champion so it will most likely be back to normal."

Now able to talk freely, Harry wasted no time in asking about what was on his mind.

"Ah, yes, the Soleil Family. What most people don't know, or in the case of most pureblooded families, choose to forget, is that all Muggle-Borns get their magic from distant family members who are Squibs. Magic is passed genetically; it just takes some generations to show. In my case, one of the members of the ancient Soleil Family before its death was born a Squib. He or she married a Muggle and over the generations there were no witches or wizards until me. The Goblins are very helpful with revealing a Muggle-born's lineage as it opens vaults that have been closed for a very long time. As it is my vault, James knows nothing about it, and you are also a descendant of the Soleil Family, its only right that you get some of the money too. Of course Daniel is a descendant too, but he's the heir of the Potter Vault while you get nothing. I feel it's only right that you get part of your birthright."

Harry suspected that his mother wasn't telling him the whole truth, that there more to this than she revealed, but didn't press for answers, she would reveal it in time. Mother and son spent the whole day talking about various things like the Tournament, who would be chosen, why Lily would leave James (divorce wasn't recognized in the Wizarding World), Charms, and other stuff. At a quarter to six, both left the office for the Great Hall.

The Feast passed slowly and hardly anyone was eating, they were all eager to hear who had been made Champions. Soon Dumbledore finished and got to his feet and approached the Goblet of Fire. One by one, with large red flames, the Goblet spit out three pieces of parchment, each caught by Dumbledore. He read them off, announcing the Champions; Victor Krum for Durmstrang, Fleur Delacour, the strange blonde Harry had noticed, for Beauxbatons, and Cedric Diggory for Hogwarts, much to Hufflepuffs great pleasure and Slytherin and Gryffindor's annoyance. The Champions stood up, were recognized by their school with loud clapping, and entered a side chamber of the Great Hall. While Dumbledore was congratulating them, a fourth piece of parchment was expelled from the Goblet. Dumbledore reached up and quickly grabbed it. He looked at it for a few seconds before calling out two words.

"Daniel Potter!"


	29. Chapter 29

**Because of a little problem that occured, that was mostly my fault, I had a lot more spare time than usual, so I worked on the story a bit. _Return of the Squib Son_ has now entered fifth year, something (from my search) has never been done before. I would like to take this time to thank each and every one of my loyal readers for their faithfulness, thank-you. Major things will happen this year, including the eye opener for the Wizarding World, so stay tuned. I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

><p>The whole Hall was silent. It took a few seconds to process what had just happened, but when he did, Harry turned towards his brother. Daniel sat with the Weasley brothers and all four were shocked at what had happened. Harry knew that his brother hadn't put his name in the Goblet; there had been a very public and embarrassing result to it. There was also the fact that Daniel's name didn't come out for Hogwarts, instead it was a fourth name, some school different than Hogwarts. Some very strange was going on around Hogwarts. It only took a few seconds, but soon the silence turned to angry buzzing. The other schools were clearly angry at Hogwarts getting two Champions and the other Houses were whispering about how Daniel got his name in.<p>

Harry turned towards his mother, who was looking paler than a ghost. She kept shaking her head and mouthing what looked like no over and over. Daniel's face had slowly gone from shock to a neutral stance, still shocked and scared, yet happy about being chosen to be a part of the Tournament. The entire school watched him walk from the Gryffindor Table to the Top Table, glance at Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Potter, and then go through the doors the other Champions had gone through. A few seconds later and a very angry Madame Maxime and Professors Karkaroff and Snape followed Dumbledore, McGonagall, Moody, Lily, Bagman, and Crouch through the doors.

The moment the doors closed, the whispers grew to a great intensity. It took Professor Flitwick a few tries to get the Hall silent but once he did he dismissed everyone back to their dorms. On the way back, everyone was talking about how Daniel got his name in the Goblet. Harry silently thought about it. Daniel's shock was too great for him to have known about his name being entered, he could have asked an older student but that was risky and they might not have done it to better either their or a friend's chances. And again he was brought back to the _four_ part, Daniel's name was not entered under the Hogwarts banner or he would have been picked as Hogwarts's Champion. He was probably place as a fourth champion because there was too much risk in putting his name under Hogwarts, as the only person under his own category, Daniel would have be picked for sure. Before going to bed Harry, Hermione, and Luna, like most of Ravenclaw house, continued to discuss Daniel's entrance. Both girls hadn't been very happy with Daniel, but after Harry brought up issue with Daniel's name coming out fourth, both agreed that something was up. A handful of people thought so too as they had been listening in because Harry was Daniel's brother and they thought he might have some information.

_He was furious. His servant hadn't listened at all when he went over the plan and now the whole thing was messed up because the fool had placed the wrong name in the Goblet. Thinking back over the briefing he realized that some fault lied with him; he had only used the boy's name once or twice and had only called him 'the boy', or Potter. The servant, like the rest of the fools, had been led to believe that the boy's idiot brother was the one. However, now that he really thought of it, this just might work to his advantage. If the world still believed that the other boy was the Boy-Who-Lived he could still use him in the ritual and kill him off as planned. Everyone would be devastated at the loss of their so-called hero and only after the death of the real Brat-Who-Lived would he reveal the truth. Revenge would be sweet against the Potters and Dumbledore, but first he had to prepare, the wrong boy's blood would affect the ritual a bit differently than he had planned. _

Harry awoke to a headache. His dream passed before his eyes again and only bits and pieces came back to him. He remembered that he was angry at someone for failing him but the failure would be turned around. For some reason, Daniel and blood were a part of it, but he didn't know what or how. There was something else, something about him, but the more he tried to figure it out, the more the dream faded from his memory. There was also something familiar about the dream, like he had had one before. Looking outside Harry saw that it was still dark out and resolved to figure it out later and went back to sleep.

The next couple of weeks were very interesting. Normally Daniel was the center of attention and admired by almost all of the school, now however, every house except Gryffindor seemed to hate him. The Slytherins never really liked him to begin with, Hufflepuff thought he was trying to steal their glory from Cedric, and most Ravenclaws thought he was just trying to get some more fame. The Slytherins of course had to go one step further in their hatred of Daniel by making badges that read SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY—THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION! Some of the badges could change to read POTTER STINKS! Everyone from Slytherin, most of the Hufflepuffs, and about half of the Ravenclaws wore the badges. Harry and his friends did wear them because they knew Daniel didn't put his name in, but they did show support for Cedric. Of course the Neo Marauders had to attack everyone who wore them but it was very difficult for them to target everyone. Daniel didn't help these thoughts very much by telling everyone around him how he was the youngest Triwizard Champion and would be the youngest winner of the Tournament ever, along with some of his other accomplishments. This included an article that came out in early November.

**The Triwizard Tournament has returned to Hogwarts at last, writes Rita Skeeter, special correspondent to the **_**Daily Prophet**_**. Hogwarts's Champion is Britain's very much loved hero, the Boy-Who-Lived, Daniel Potter. It came as a large surprise when young Mr. Potter's name came out of the Goblet of Fire on Halloween. The **_**Daily Prophet**_** of course has gotten the chance to interview the Champion.**

_**Daily Prophet**_**: So, Mr. Potter, what made you decide to enter the Triwizard Tournament?**

_**Daniel Potter: This is the best Tournament in existence, being held at the best school in the world; they would need the best champions to compete, and of course the best student was chosen to represent the best school.**_

**DP: Mr. Potter, how did your name come out of the Goblet of Fire?**

_**D P: I put my name, simple as that. Of course the Goblet would have chosen me to represent Hogwarts, who wouldn't?**_

**DP: How do you feel about the tasks ahead of you? You do know that champions have died in the past do you?**

_**D P: I know people in the past have died, but this year it's supposed to be much safer. I don't have to worry about dying because I'm Daniel Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived; I beat You-Know-Who when I was just a baby. I have nothing to fear in the Tournament; not the tasks and not my competitors, what chance do they have?**_

**Does young Mr. Potter have what it takes to compete, does he seem over confident? Maybe, but he does have reason as he pointed out, he's the Boy-Who-Lived. Another reason his confidence is well founded is because he's the top student at Hogwarts, beating out his unknown and Ravenclaw brother Harvey Potter. However, poor Mr. Potter's confidence seems to lose out at love because his young love interest Miss Ginevra Weasley has ignored all of his advances and, according to some, been playing with the boy's heart by feigning interest.**

Since the article came out, Ginny had been getting a large amount of angry letters about her so call leading on every day at breakfast, including a couple of Howlers from her mother telling her to just 'go out with the poor boy'. She was also starting to become an outcast within Gryffindor because of it and because she, along with Neville, were the only Gryffindors who didn't support Daniel. She was also getting attacked by other girls who wanted Daniel for themselves. Harry had overheard a conversation between her and Daniel, with him promising to protect her from everyone if she would be his girlfriend. This was before he was sent to the hospital wing with a very nasty Bat-Bogey Hex from Ginny's wand.

Harry wasn't too concerned with his brother's or Ginny's love life, he had his own to work with. Ever since returning to Hogwarts Harry had spent a lot of time with Lisa Turpin, usually talking or working on homework together. Now Harry had finally plucked up the courage to ask her on a date to Hogsmeade. The next trip also happened to be her birthday, a plus for Harry. Lisa couldn't have said 'yes' fast enough and had almost squealed when he asked her. Harry and Neville spent days preparing for the date, Neville had one of his own but he was keeping it a secret, Harry even went to his mother for advice. Finally the day arrived and Harry met Lisa in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Both were dressed for the weather and Lisa hung onto Harry's arm the entire walk to the village. Harry bought her some chocolate from Honeydukes and a new book from Tomes and Scrolls before finishing their date at the Three Broomsticks. As they were leaving, they were stopped by a tall witch in emerald robes, curled hair, and jeweled spectacles that started calling Harry Daniel. Once corrected the woman, who identified herself as Rita Skeeter, tried to ask all sorts of questions about Harry, Daniel, and their relationship, but was stopped by the appearance of Daniel himself. Skeeter immediately ran off to interview him and left Harry and Lisa alone.

* * *

><p><strong>If you notice something wrong, please let me know, I'm horrible with dating scenes. You will see more in the next couple of chapters. <strong>


	30. Chapter 30

**O.K., I've finally decided to post a new chapter, if I have one, every Friday to celibrate the weekend and so I can look over your reviews at the end of the week. Doing this, I will have posted a chapter every wek until the middle of October before I need to write more chapters. I am curently in the middle of fifth year and this one will have more chapters than any other, esspecially in the second half of the year, I hope. I've been running many ideas through my head about what to do about the second half of fifth year and I have it mostly planned out, I just need to type it. Although, if my homework load stays the same as it has for this first week of school, don't expect any new chapters till around the middle or end of Thanksgiving when I will actually have some time, sorry.**

* * *

><p>I've<p>

Harry sat in the stands with the rest of the school, waiting for the First Task to begin. On his right, proudly wearing her "SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY" badge was his new girlfriend. After their enjoyable date Harry and Lisa had shared a kiss in the Entrance Hall and immediately became a couple. To Harry's confusion, he hadn't seen Neville at all during the date, but he hadn't looked too hard, he was distracted by the pretty witch accompanying him. Right now, Neville was sitting in front of him, in between Ginny and Luna, waiting for start of the task. Suddenly, Professor Dumbledore's voice filled the stands in which they were seated.

"Welcome everyone, to the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Today, we test our champions on their daring, their face of courage under the face of fire. For the First Task, the champions will have to retrieve the golden egg from the dragon that guards it. At the sound of the whistle, Mr. Diggory will go first against the Swedish Short-Snout."

The crowd shouted so loudly Harry could barely hear the whistle that signaled the start of the First Task. The dragon was brought out first along with about half a dozen blue eggs and one bright gold one. It was a greyish blue color and had no forward limbs. It walked awkwardly and stumbled a lot, the moment it saw Cedric coming into the stadium it let lose a burst of bright blue flame that missed by a few feet, though that didn't stop Cedric from flinching. Although Harry couldn't see his face very good, it looked like Cedric was scared stiff; he clearly wasn't expecting to face a dragon. For a couple of minutes the challenge consisted of Cedric and the dragon throwing spells and fire at one another until Cedric finally ducked behind a large rock. He hid there for a while until he transfigured another rock into a large yellow dog. The dog's barking attracted the dragon's attention and Cedric ran towards the eggs. The Short-Snout had chased the dog all over the enclosure when it turned and saw Cedric at its eggs. It let lose a loud roar before more blue flame raced towards the eggs. Cedric had just grabbed the gold egg and jumped off the nest when the flames reached and grazed him, causing several girls to scream. Several wizards stormed the enclosure and attacked the dragon. Cedric himself was rescued with several burns all over his face and arms, but otherwise looked alright.

The dragon and its eggs were swapped for the next, blue became green and a Welsh Green dragon was brought in, it's melodious roar quieting the stands. This time, Fleur Delacour came out with many cheers, mainly from the guys. Fleur, looking unsurprised, started waving her wand and what sounded like singing. The Welsh Green, which stayed protectively over its eggs, started to drop its head and slowly close its eyes. The dragon wasn't the only one affected, some of the guys looked like they were starting to nod off. After a few minutes the dragon was asleep and Fleur slowly crept off to it. Suddenly, the dragon let out a great big snore and let loose a narrow jet of flame that went past Fleur by inches, any wider and Beauxbatons would be short one champion. She panicked for a bit because her skirt was on fire before she finally put it out and grabbed her egg. Again wizards came out to remove the dragon and replace it with the next, this time a large scarlet one with ruby red eggs; a Chinese Fireball.

Victor Krum was next and had to quickly move because the dragon let loose one of its signature mushroom-shaped flames at it. Harry remembered that the Chinese Fireball was supposedly the cleverest dragon in the world, and wondered how Krum, who looked like he packed more muscle than brain, would get past it. The answer was fairly obvious; use strength. Once he got back on his feet, Krum fired several spells at the dragon's eyes, blinding it. The dragon of course didn't like that and start throwing fireballs all over the place and thrashing about and destroyed several of its eggs, but not the gold one.

The final dragon, the one Daniel had to face, was as black as night and very vicious-looking. It was the Hungarian Horntail, the most dangerous breed of dragon in the world, Harry was suddenly worried for his brother, he didn't think he would be able to survive much less get an egg. When he entered, it suddenly struck Harry as to how small Daniel looked compared to everyone else; he remembered that the other champions were at least three years older than him and a bit bigger, but their dragons looked small compared to the Horntail. Daniel's nerves showed, but like the last two, surprise wasn't on his face making Harry think that Delacour, Krum, and his brother knew what was coming beforehand. Daniel raised his wand and gave a flick but he could not hear what was being said. At first nothing happened and Harry thought something had gone wrong but then he heard something racing towards the enclosure; a broom.

Daniel grabbed it and flew off into the air just as the Horntail breathed fire at where he was only seconds ago. He flew around in the air just out of reach of the dragons flame and tail, acting like a pest. Finally the dragon got so annoyed of missing him that it flew up into the air to join him. The moment the dragon was far enough away from its eggs, Daniel flew down and grabbed the golden egg like it was a Snitch. The dragon wasn't done and swiped at him with its tail cutting him up. Daniel was save from further injury by the wizards coming to remove the Horntail. Soon the scores were posted and Krum was in the lead, beating Daniel by just two points, and Cedric was in last place.

Later that week Lily Potter called Harry into her office. When he arrived, they had a quick discussion about the Tournament and how Daniel did. When they got to the part of the spell Daniel used, Lily interrupted him.

"This is actually the reason I wanted you to come up today, I'm concerned with the recent happenings within the Wizarding World. First, you undoubtedly remember that several Death Eaters were active during the Quidditch World Cup and someone fired the Dark Mark into the sky. There are also some rumors of a Ministry of Magic worker named Bertha Jorkins disappearing in Albania, where Lord Voldemort is rumored to be. Another thing, Professor Moody was attacked before coming to Hogwarts, it was reported to be a false alarm but I don't think so, especially with the Tournament going on, and with Daniel's name coming out of the Goblet. One final thing that disturbs me is that a prophecy came out before the end of last year foretelling the return of Voldemort. I normally don't believe in prophesies, but fifteen years ago one came out foretelling a boy born at the end of July would defeat Voldemort, one that was almost fulfilled that Halloween. All of these things make me scared for my family; I want to know that you can protect yourself Harry. Daniel has been trained for years in Defense Against the Dark Arts, both your father and Dumbledore use Transfiguration in battle, and after seeing Daniel's performance in the First Task I've remembered how useful some of them are in a duel. Because of Daniel's previous training and because he's in the Tournament I want you to start training under Professor Flitwick in the use of Charms, I will assist as well."

Harry's training with Professor Flitwick was set to begin after the holidays, but it was driven from his mind when Flitwick announced that the Yule Ball would be held on Christmas. Most of the class was suddenly excited about it was started whispering about who they were going to take. As soon as the class was done, Harry made sure that Lisa wanted to go with him, which she did. Yule Ball fever had hit Hogwarts with girls giggling about whom they were hoping to go with, or who they were going with, what they would wear, and all sorts of things. The one person most of the girls wanted to go with was Daniel, but the only person he wanted had turned him down faster than you could blink. Daniel had been quite persistent in his advances towards Ginny, even using the old trick that he might die in the Tournament to get her to go out with him. She wasn't interested in the slightest.

Christmas evening found Harry waiting in the Ravenclaw Common Room for Lisa to come down. Hermione had already gone down to meet her date, surprisingly Victor Krum, not looking a thing like how she usually did. When Lisa finally came down Harry's jaw dropped; he hadn't seen a girl more beautiful. Her long blonde hair was silky and shiny; she wore just enough make-up to bring out her lips and eyes, which sparkled like sapphires. Her robes were a mixture of blue and green, a cross of their eye colors. Smiling with bright white teeth, she greeted Harry with a curtsey and together, they went down to the Great Hall. There they met Hermione and Krum and saw Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, with Fleur Delacour and Cho Chang with Cedric Diggory. Daniel was off to the side ignoring his date Lavender Brown to glare at Neville who was next to Ginny, both in large smiles.

The Ball was fun, though Harry didn't like dancing very much. He shared multiple dances with Lisa, who also didn't like dancing much. He also shared dances with Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, who came with Michael Corner. He and Lisa also spent some time outside walking, talking, and sneaking kisses, like a lot of other couples. They also lost twenty points from Snape when they overheard his conversation with Karkaroff. They also witnessed an argument between the Weasleys, Daniel, and Neville about Ginny's choice in dates that only ended when she threatened all four of her brothers with a particularly nasty hex, Percy included as he was there representing Mr. Crouch. They ended the night by joining Cedric escorting Cho back to Ravenclaw Tower where Harry and Lisa shared a passionate kiss goodnight.

* * *

><p><strong>Once again, I do not write good dating scenes, so I apologize. Another thing, I know some of you have written than my chapters are too short. I answer with that most of the fics I've seen have just over 1,000 words per chapter. I've tried to get somewhere between 1300 and 1500 words. Not too long ago, due to the many reviews and demands, I've changed it to just over 1500 words or somewhere around 1700, but now I'm thinking around 2000 or more. Hopefully this will appease some of you, I know a handful will still say that is too short but deal with it. <strong>


	31. Chapter 31

**Sorry for the late post, I had a quiz earlier and was very busy this morning, but here is the next chapter. You should all know by now that the only thing I own is Daniel Potter.**

* * *

><p>Things didn't change much after Christmas, the only difference was that there were less SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY badges around and more and more people were starting to take bets on Daniel winning the Tournament. The Weasleys got a nasty Howler just before term started; Mrs. Weasley ranted to the twins about something called Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and tore into Ginny about dating Neville instead of Daniel, practically telling her to dump Neville and start dating Daniel as she was supposed to. The last change came when they had their first Care of Magical Creatures class of the term, a woman named Professor Grubbly-Plank had taken over the class. Not many people minded as Hagrid wasn't a very good teacher and often showed them dangerous creatures, like the Blast-Ended Skrewts they had been taking care of in the previous year.<p>

The first Thursday of the new term at eight o'clock, Harry reported to Professor Flitwick's office. Once there, Flitwick had Harry go over every charm and spell he could remember from the first year and up. After about an hour of practicing the numerous spells, Flitwick had him stop and started focusing on his wand and wrist movements to be able to cast faster and better, his brother focused on power but Flitwick and his mother wanted him to focus on speed. They spent an hour and a half on this before Harry was dismissed with the homework of practicing his movements and spells. Every Tuesday and Thursday night went like this for Harry, he and Professor Flitwick spent two to three hours working over some of the most basic charms, practicing speed, accuracy, timing, movement, and knowledge before Harry was assigned to read about certain charms, spells, or various theories, the goal was to have Harry ready to take his charms N.E.W.T by the middle or end of fifth year.

The training with Professor Flitwick caused time to go by faster than Harry expected, soon it was February. On Valentine's Day, Harry and Lisa spent an afternoon by the Lake shore with some butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks. It was slightly enjoyable until it started to rain on them, after which they retreated to the Common Room and snuggled up by the fire, like some others. On the morning of the twenty-eighth, Harry and Lisa sat in the stands with Neville and Ginny at the Black Lake to watch the start of the Second Task, this time, Ludo Bagman to the announcements.

"Welcome, to the start of the Second Task. Our champions have exactly one hour to retrieve what has been taken from them, which is now at the bottom of the lake. On my whistle, three…two…one!"

At the sound of the whistle, all four champions ran towards the lake wearing different kinds of swimwear. Daniel popped something into his month and dove underwater, the other champions waved their wands as they ran before they too vanished under the waves. Before he disappeared, Harry saw Krum enlarge and turn grey. Now there was nothing to do but wait for the champions to return, rather boring for the spectators Harry thought. After about twenty minutes someone emerged from the depths. Upon recognizing the person as Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons stands erupted into loud cheers and quieted when they saw she had returned empty handed. Although he couldn't see her too well, Harry noticed that her beautiful body had many cuts and bruises on it and her swimsuit had a couple of red spots on it.

"The Beauxbaton's Champion, Miss Delacour, has been forced to retire due to attacks from various Grindylows in the Lake; she will not continue in this task."

Bagman's announcement was met with a large number of boos, and not just from the Beauxbaton's stands. Harry watched her as she struggled to return to the water while also being treated by Madam Pomfrey. It took a couple of minutes, but Fleur finally stopped trying to get back into the water and resolved to sit down and cry. It was at least a half hour before someone else came up; Daniel and Ron swam back towards shore, but Daniel stayed behind for some reason. A couple of minutes later Cedric appeared with Cho and Krum with Hermione. Everyone climbed out of the water and was wrapped in towels while the judges went to talk to an ugly mermaid that had appeared at the edge of the water, and then announced the total points. Daniel, who was both first to the mervillage and back within the time limit was awarded full marks, Cedric, who was second there and back outside the time limit, was awarded forty-five points, Krum was third with forty, and Fleur, who never made it to the village, was given twenty points. Daniel was in the lead with eighty-six points followed by Krum, Cedric, and finally Fleur.

As March entered Daniel's and Ron's stories were starting to get wild. Ron told anyone would listen about how get got into the Lake for the Second Task. According to Hermione it was just a simple sleeping charm, but Ron's account was a full-fledged battle between him and a hundred merpeople. He had also taken to adding to Daniel's stories of his past adventures including the Stone Adventure and some that Harry knew didn't exist. Most of Hogwarts was now fully behind Daniel winning the Tournament, the only exception were most of Slytherin Houses and a number of Hufflepuffs, even some foreigners were starting to cheer Daniel on. During one Hogsmeade visit Rita Skeeter managed to corner Harry for an interview about his brother. Harry was only too happy to provide dirt on his brother, which Skeeter was happy to receive. The result was in her next article.

_The Boy-Who-Isn't-Famous-Enough_

_Since his name first came out of the Goblet of Fire last Halloween, Daniel Potter had emerged as powerful contender for the Triwizard Tournament. However, resent evidence has come to light that may give Potter's supporters pause. According to inside informants, Potter has been receiving illegal help in both preparing and during the Tasks. Although some may point out his age gap, Potter himself has claimed to be able to handle anything the Tournament throws at him because of prior experience. But again, a special source inside Hogwarts itself has revealed that Daniel's work may not be his own, that he is just claiming all of these deeds as his own because he wants more attention that just getting rid of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named more than thirteen years ago. Is Potter receiving illegal help? Are his claims real or just an attention call? Rita Skeeter, special correspondent for the _Daily Prophet_, vows to find out._

Skeeter's article had caused a shift in Daniel's support. Many were now questioning Daniel's exploits and stories, especially as he told them more and more often, trying to get back support. Many Hufflepuffs and most of the foreigners had gone back to supporting their own champions after the article and many people were whispering and spreading rumors about Daniel. _His fall from grace has begun_, though Harry. However, he didn't have much time to celebrate as he and his friends were starting to study for the end of term exams that were coming up in a few weeks. Harry was again dragged into his mother's office the first week in May; she looked somber, as if someone had died.

"Mr. Crouch was spotted on the grounds last night. He was mumbling and raving, practically insane. He mentioned something about Voldemort, how he's getting stronger, and about you. Dumbledore and I have thought about Voldemort getting stronger even since the end of last year, now this all but confirms it. He probably knows about you living with the Dursleys, and thinks that getting at Daniel would be too difficult and so is most likely planning to go after you instead. I want you to promise me that from this point on you'll always carry your wand with you at all times, be alert, and practice really hard with Professor Flitwick. Promise me Harry."

Scared and nervous, Harry promised, not feeling it was best to tell her about the third dream he had had about Voldemort. This one had featured Voldemort torturing Wormtail for failing him again, as well as having joy that his plan was still proceeding, almost as good has he had hoped. Unfortunately for Harry, although he was in Voldemort's mind, Voldemort's plan wasn't revealed to him. What he did know was that something big was going to happen, and soon. Harry's training with Flitwick was starting to go smoother and faster and his aim was almost dead-accurate. They had now moved into fifth year spells and some hexes. Soon, June was here, and the end of the Triwizard Tournament was approaching. Everyone in the castle was now studying for exams, which would be finished on the day of the Third Task. Because of the training he was going through, Harry easily passed Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, but didn't feel too good about his Ancient Runes or Care of Magical Creatures, which Hagrid was back to teaching. As a champion, Daniel was exempt from exams and took great pleasure in lording the fact over everyone, though Harry noticed he got paler and paler as the Third Task approached.

On the day of the Third Task, Harry saw Daniel leading his father and two other men around the school, all four talking very fast and laughing. One of the men Harry recognized as last year's DADA professor Remus Lupin, who smiled and waved a bit at Harry when he passed. The other man could only be Sirius Black, Daniel's godfather. He was tall and handsome with long, thick black hair and a moustache. His grey eyes landed on Harry for a couple of seconds and then moved on, laughing at a joke James, who didn't even look at Harry, had said. Angry at his father's ignorance of him, Harry barely paid attention in his History of Magic final and only barely managed to finish it before the final bell. At lunch he ignored all of Daniel's guests, including his mother who had decided to eat with her son at the Gryffindor table, though he did notice the Minister of Magic sitting next to Professor McGonagall at the teacher's table.

Soon, they were walking down to the Quidditch Field for the start of the Third Task. When he arrived, Harry could hardly believe his eyes; hedges more than twenty feet high covered the entire field, creating a large and dark maze for the champions. Even from the highest seat in the stadium, no one would be able to see the champions' progress. Harry resigned himself for another long, boring wait to find out who had won.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. This evening, our four champions will have to navigate this impressive maze and locate the Triwizard Cup, which Professor Moody has placed in the center. The first person to touch the Cup will win eternal glory for their school and the Triwizard Tournament itself. The champions will enter one at a time, first Mr. Daniel Potter of Hogwarts, followed by Mr. Victor Krum of Durmstrang, then Mr. Cedric Diggory, also of Hogwarts, and finally, Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons. Ready champions…on my whistle…three…two…one!"

Once the whistle was blown about half of Hogwarts cheered as Daniel entered the maze. Five minutes later there were cheers of Durmstrang and various girls and Krum entered. Most of Hogwarts cheered when Cedric entered and finally Beauxbatons and a large amount of guys cheered when the final champion entered the maze. Harry sat back and tried to ignore his growing headache. After about thirty minutes red sparks, signifying a champion in trouble was seen over the maze. Soon, not only Victor Krum, but an unconscious Fleur Delacour was brought out of the maze to a large Hogwarts cheer, no matter who got the Cup now, Hogwarts had won. Five minutes later Harry's headache was unbearable. He excused himself from his friends and girlfriend and left the stands, looking for Madam Pomfrey. He didn't get very far. Under the stands, Harry's vision suddenly went white as a sharp, piercing pain shot through his forehead.

* * *

><p><strong>OK, as most of you know, I am now working on year five in this story. I have everything figured out by now except one thing, when to end the story. Right now I'm leaning towards the end of year six, but I will leave it up to you, my faithful readers to decide. So, what will it be; year five, six, seven, or after Hogwarts? I will a<strong>**ppreciate all of your suggestions. Also, if I have a good weekend (my footbal team wins) and am feeling good on Monday, I will release the next chapter then. Have a good weekend everyone. **


	32. Chapter 32

**I want to respond to a couple of posts. First to mysteriouslife, I thank you for your words, and don't worry, Harry and Voldemort **_**will**_** have an epic duel, just not in year four. Also, a couple of you have asked if this really is a Harry/Hermione story. It is, you just have to build up to it first, even Rowling didn't have Harry marry his first girlfriend, it just doesn't happen in real life, except in really rare, and lucky, occasions. Harry/Lisa is just the building blocks, I will have Harry and Hermione go out eventually, you just have to wait. Also, like Rowling, I had an epilogue planned for the very last chapter of the story and will take place several years _after_ the defeat of Voldemort. I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

><p>He laid, uncomfortably, in a bundle of robes being held by his servant, waiting. Suddenly there was a flash of light, <em>he<em> had finally arrived. Wheezing, his servant walked towards the new arrival, which now had drawn his wand.

"Who are you?"

The boy sounded scared. He could have laughed at that, he should be scared, and he would soon know who he was. The servant placed him slowly on the ground and he rolled over to get a look at the boy. He looked just like his father, down to the shape and color of his hair and eyes, there was nothing of the Mudblood mother. The boy started to shout again but his servant, waving HIS wand, silenced him and threw him back. The boy had lost his wand and the servant grabbed him and tied cords around his former friend's favorite son, pinning him to his own father's headstone. Once again the figure wanted to laugh but couldn't. Once the man had finished with the boy, he left to get the cauldron.

The boy started to try and break the bonds that held him, but the servant had tied them too tight. While struggling the boy's gaze fell on him in the bundle and his eyes widened, his mouth was gagged so that he couldn't scream. He could also feel and hear his familiar moving around the ground, waiting. He could hear his servant's return, pushing the cauldron that held the key to his rebirth. He was starting to grow restless, his servant better hurry up, he had waited long enough.

"Hurry Wormtail!"

The boy's eyes grew wide again as he saw who his servant was. Although he couldn't see Wormtail, he knew that he had quickened his pace. Soon he could hear the flames that heated the potion, as well as the bubbling it made.

"It is ready Master."

"Now…"

He heard his servant approach. He opened the bundle of robes more so that he could see his servant. Reaching his arms up like a child wanting to be held, he grabbed the neck of his servant who carried him over to the cauldron. Just before he was put in, he got one last look at the boy he had brought here and his frightened face. Then, he was dropped into the cauldron and sank to the bottom. It was hot, he could feel it starting to burn the skin of his temporary body, but it didn't matter, this pain was nothing compared to what was felt when he was separated from his former body. Although the potion was far from complete, he could already feel its magic working.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son."

Dust descended into his watery surroundings. All he could see now a vivid, poisonous blue color. He now felt stronger.

"Flesh of the servant, willingly sacrificed, you will revive your master."

His servant made an ungodly scream as his hand fell into the potion, turning it blood red. With the second ingredient in, he now felt his power returning. All that was left was one thing. Although it wasn't the same blood as the kind he wanted, it would do, after all, he was the boy's twin. Whatever protections the right boy had would no doubt be on this one.

"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe."

A few seconds later there were a few drips as the final ingredient was added, increasing his power beyond what it had been thirteen years ago. He could hear his servant, whimpering and crying, stumble off. His job was done, now he only had to wait for a few more seconds. It didn't take long. Soon he felt his body change from the small child-like one he had to the tall, powerful one he remembered. He stood, rising from the cauldron and opened his eyes, taking in all that he could see. Wormtail was sobbing in front of the cauldron, holding what remained of his lost arm; the boy was still tied to the headstone, frightened out of his wits.

"Robe me."

His servant rose from the ground and, awkwardly, wrapped him in the robes he was cradled in earlier. He then looked at his body. His hands were like spiders, his fingers long and pale; his face had snakelike nostrils instead of a nose. Flexing his fingers, he took his wand from where Wormtail had dropped it, it felt good to be reunited again. Deciding to punish his servant for dropping his wand, and to test his power, he pointed it at the pathetic man and, using his magic, threw him against the headstone where the boy was tied. Getting slowly to his feet, the servant begged.

"Master…my lord, you promised…you did promise."

He knew what his servant wanted, but there were more pressing matters to deal with.

"Hold out your arm Wormtail."

"Oh Master…thank you, Master…"

It was the wrong arm he wanted. The fool actually thought that he would help him?

"The other arm, Wormtail."

"Master, please…please…"

Ignoring his pleas, he stepped forward and grabbed the correct arm. There it was; his mark, vivid red; the skull with a protruding tongue from its mouth, the Dark Mark.

"It's back; they shall have all noticed it. Now we shall know, now we shall see."

He pressed one of his new fingers against the mark, turning it a dark black. He could feel its magic working, summoning his servants to him. How many would return, and how many would stay away? He began to pace, waiting, ignoring the two others for a while. But he had to pass the time; he had to gloat a bit, didn't he?

"You stand, young Daniel Potter, on the remains of my late father, a Muggle and a fool, like your mother." This time he did laugh, knowing that Daniel wasn't really standing and that his mother wasn't really a Muggle. "But he had his uses, didn't he, even in death." He pointed up towards the house he had inhabited for the past year. "You see that house up on the hill, Potter? My father used to live there. My mother, a witch who lived in the nearby village, fell in love with him. But he abandoned her when he found out what she really was. He didn't like magic, my father. He left her and returned to his parents before I was even born, and she died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a Muggle orphanage. But I vowed revenge, I found him, and took it upon the fool who gave me his name, Tom Riddle." He spat out the last two words, how he hated that name. "Listen to me, reliving my family history. But look young Daniel, my true family returns."

All around him, his servants returned, wearing their traditional black clocks and silver masks. They surrounded him until, one by one; they fell on their knees and kissed the hem of his robes before getting up again and forming the traditional circle. There were gaps, many gaps.

"Welcome, Death Eaters. It has been thirteen years and yet you answer my call as if it was yesterday. We are still united by the Dark Mark, or are we? I smell guilt in the air."

He could too; this group had abandoned him after seeing his power. They would all pay soon.

"I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact - such prompt appearances! And I ask myself… why did this band of wizards never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty? And I answer myself, they must have believed me broken, they thought I was gone. They slipped back among my enemies, and they pleaded innocence, and ignorance, and bewitchment…And then I ask myself, but how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death. They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living? And I answer myself, perhaps they believed a still greater power could exist, one that could vanquish even Lord Voldemort… perhaps they now pay allegiance to another… perhaps that champion of commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles, Albus Dumbledore. It is a disappointment to me… I confess myself disappointed…"

One of his Death Eaters interrupted him, begging for forgiveness. He punished him for his interruption and his begging. He would not forgive, not after they had repaid him, thirteen years of repayment. He told them as much.

"Wormtail here has already repaid some of his debt, haven't you Wormtail? You alone returned to me, yet out of fear. However, you helped him return to my body, and Lord Voldemort always rewards his helpers."

He then restored Wormtail's arm, but made it newer, better, than before. He stopped his worthless sobbing, thanked him properly, and returned to his place in the circle. He then made rounds of all of the Death Eaters, making sure that they were still loyal and knew who was in charge. Whenever he passed an empty spot he thought about who was missing, either they were dead like Rosier, or imprisoned in Azkaban like the Lestranges, who would be freed and rewarded. Finally he reached the largest gap of all.

"And here we have six missing Death Eaters, three dead in my service, one too cowardly too return," _Karkaroff _"…one who I believe has left me forever," _Snape_ "he will be killed of course, and one who remains my most faithful servant, and who has already reentered my service. He is at Hogwarts, and it is because of him that our guest has arrived tonight."

He, along with all of his Death Eaters, now turned their eyes to Daniel Potter, who was still tied to the headstone and struggling to be released. He turned to face his Death Eaters.

"The Boy-Who-Lived." He then turned back to Daniel, ready to reveal the truth. How it would destroy the boy. And then he would kill him, bringing the Wizarding World to its knees. Then he would kill the boy's brother. His victory would be complete before term started at Hogwarts in September. "How lies have fed your legend, shall I reveal what really happened that night thirteen years ago? Shall I divulge how I truly lost my power? That night, Wormtail provided the location of your house, Daniel. When I attacked, your father dueled me to give you, your mother and brother time to escape. He was foolish, but a pure-blood, so I let him live. Your mother was an obstacle, so I removed her. Then I turned to you and your brother. So alike you two were, I couldn't tell who was who. Yet, when I attacked, I left one mark that easily identified the one who beat me…"

"Yeah, you left a mark," the boy had found some courage deep inside him. "It was easy to identify me, and I'll beat you now like I did when I was one year old!"

The foolish boy refused to listen to him. He was angry now. He would punish him, and then reveal the truth just before his death. His last thought would be how all these years he was led wrong. He would play the boy's game, for now.

"Untie him and give him back his wand, Wormtail. After tonight, no one will question my power." When the boy had gotten to his feet and grab his wand, the duel began. "Crucio!" The boy fell and twitched on the ground. Revenge was sweat. He released the spell and let him rest for a bit; _let's see what the boy's got_. The boys shot back a Reductor Curse that flew past his shoulder and nearly took off the head of a Death Eater standing behind him. He then fired several Blasting Hexes, all of which missed. The boy focused on power and effect, something that might have work against a weaker dark wizard, but he wasn't the most powerful Dark Lord for nothing. Voldemort also used power in his spells but he also focused on accuracy, power meant nothing if you didn't hit your target.

The duel was quick; the boy was already weak from the maze task that brought him here while Voldemort himself was fresh and more experienced. He fired a Bone-Breaking Curse at his right hand, dropping him and his wand to the ground. It was time to finish it. "I'm going to kill you now, Daniel Potter."

"That's what you think, _Accio Cup_!" Only now did Voldemort realize what Daniel's strategy was. When the duel had started him and his Death Eaters had been blocking Daniel's way to the Cup, the way back to Hogwarts. Daniel had moved and fired spells to get them out of the way so he could get to the Cup. Although he hadn't reached it, he was close enough to summon it. Not willing to let his prey get away, he fired a Killing Curse at the boy. Time slowed down as the two objects approached Daniel; it was a race to see what would get there first; life or death. Although the curse was closer, the Cup had a head start. Voldemort watched as the boy's hand closed around the handle of the Cup and disappear a second before the green curse hit him. He had missed and the boy had gotten away. Furious, Voldemort let out a scream in rage.

* * *

><p><strong>This is, so far, my favorite chapter I have ever written, so I feel real good about it. Several of you have mentioned a story called <em>Unsung Hero<em>. I have read the story twice and I liked the begining, parts of the middle, but the end didn't real work for me. It has however, inspired me to write this story and I am quite proud to be near completeing the _second_ finished wrong boy who lived story ever. If anyone can find another finshed story I will thank you greatly. Please tell when you want the story to end and keep reviewing. **


	33. Chapter 33

**Thanks for all of the reviews for the last chapter. Sorry about not posting last week, I had some problems on my end. Anyways, here is the next chapter and the results of Daniel's escape. BTW, I'm almost done with year five, just one chapter left, and let me tell you it was difficult to write half the time. I do not own anything except this Daniel Potter, thank-you.**

* * *

><p>Harry thrashed about on the ground, Voldemort's anger causing him pain like he had never experienced. He didn't know how, but he had experienced the rebirth of Voldemort, the return of the Death Eaters, and the duel between him and Daniel, all from the eyes of the Dark Lord himself. Things had gotten very bad. He could feel someone's hands shaking him, someone calling his name, trying to bring him out of whatever nightmare he was seeing. Upon recognizing the voice, Harry opened his eyes to see Lisa staring down at him, a look of horror on her face.<p>

"Are you alright Harry? You were gone for a long time so I decided to look for you. I found you out here, rolling on the ground in pain. You're bleeding Harry, what happened?"

She said this all very fast, but as she talked, the pain lessened. Instinctively he raised his hand to his forehead, where it hurt the most. When he pulled his hand away, on his fingers was bright red blood. Reaching into her purse, Lisa brought out a cloth and mirror. She wiped away the blood and held up the mirror so that Harry could see. His lightning bolt scar was oozing blood and very red. He then realized that his forehead didn't hurt; only the area around his scar did, for some reason. He heard the Hogwarts band playing in the background.

"What happened?"

"A few minutes after you left, Cedric sent up red sparks from the center of the maze, your brother had left him to deal with an Acromantula while he grabbed the Cup. When your brother disappeared, Cedric sent up the sparks and was brought out. We've been waiting for a while now for your brother to return, which it sounds like he did."

Quickly standing, Harry stumbled back into the stands, Lisa following behind him. Sure enough, kneeling on the ground gasping for breath was Daniel Potter, holding the Triwizard Cup. All of Hogwarts, with Gryffindor being the loudest, was cheering for their champion. Daniel weakly got up and ran over to Dumbledore ignoring Bagman, who was trying to drag him onto a stage that was erected. Looking around, he saw Fleur was revived and standing by her headmistress, Krum was off standing by himself looking a little confused, Cedric was with what appeared to be his crying father, getting bandaged up, Snape hung back from the other professors, rubbing his left arm, the Minister was walking over to Dumbledore, there was no sign of Karkaroff. Professor Moody grabbed Daniel and led him away from the maze while Dumbledore and the Minister quietly conversed. He suddenly looked around, grabbed Professors McGonagall and Snape, and all three ran off.

Bagman and the Minister took the stage and announced Daniel Potter as the winner of the Triwizard Tournament, but due to injuries he suffered in the maze, he wouldn't be able to accept his winnings at the moment. Again, the students of Hogwarts let out a loud cheer while the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students booed. Harry, however, felt horrible, he knew that the Voldemort was back and that someone here was a Death Eater in disguise, probably looking to kill Daniel for escaping the Dark Lord. Luckily, he was with Mad-Eye Moody at the moment, no Death Eater stood a chance against him.

Bartemius Crouch Junior was awake. Before him he saw Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, the traitor Severus Snape, the brat Daniel Potter, the boy's father James Potter, and the Auror Sirius Black. All were staring at him, some with shock, and others with anger. He felt confused, disorientated. He knew that they fed him Veritaserum, the truth potion, but he would fight it, he would not reveal his Master's most carefully guarded secret. They interrogated him, about how he escaped, the World Cup, how he came to Hogwarts. When questioned about the Goblet and the Tournament, he fought, he could not reveal the truth about Daniel and Harry Potter; it would be his last service to the Dark Lord. While he couldn't fight the truth potion, he could use half-truths. Carefully he said only the Boy-Who-Lived or Potter, never once mentioning Daniel's or Harry's name. It was just like his Master's briefing, he fooled everyone into thinking Daniel was still the Boy-Who-Lived. They wouldn't suspect Harry until it was too late.

Harry and his friends were walking back to Ravenclaw Tower when they felt an unnatural cold sweep past them. Following the Minister for Magic was a single dementor. _What in the name of Merlin is that doing here_, Harry thought. The dementor looked at Harry as it passed and he heard many voices, but it soon passed and the dementor and Minister were gone. Still feeling horrible from earlier and from the effects of the dementor, Harry went to bed early that night. The next week went by fast with many students whispering about Daniel's win. Because of Rita Skeeter's article about Daniel's possible cheating, as well as Cedric telling everyone how Daniel left him alone in the maze, many thought Daniel really had cheated and stolen Cedric's rightful win just to get himself some more fame. Oddly, Daniel wasn't gloating at all about his win, he was rather quiet, though Ron wasn't. During the Leaving Feast, Dumbledore announced to the whole Hall that Voldemort was back. His mother later confronted him and told him that he was back and that she wanted him to come home. Although Harry wanted to, he told his mother that he wanted to return to the Dursleys one last time and that after his birthday he would rejoin her at Potter Manor. Although she didn't like this, she allowed him to spend some time with the people who raised him and to say one last good-bye.

His last summer at the Dursleys was the longest he had ever had. Uncle Vernon outright pretended he didn't exist, Aunt Petunia only spoke two words to him, though she did smile once she found out that Harry wasn't coming back ever after the summer was over. That smile disappeared when she found out that her sister was coming to pick Harry up on his birthday. Dudley, having grown up liking Harry, was the only one who talked to him, though it wasn't very often. Because of a month long drought, Harry's summer work was at an all-time low, no one wanted any work done on their houses or lawns. He did keep in contact with his friends though. Hermione was going on vacation to Australia; Neville was keeping busy with his gardens because he wasn't able to see his new girlfriend; Luna was also on vacation to Sweden, still looking for her strange creatures. His girlfriend Lisa was continually going over her Ancient Runes and Arithmancy books because she had almost failed those classes. Ginny apparently was spending some time with his mother as she was mentioned a bit, as well as his brother, in her very short letters. Using their magic mirrors, Harry and his mother were able to talk sometimes. Lily told Harry that they had moved to Sirius's old house for better protection and that the Weasleys were with them. She had also told Harry some disturbing things; Voldemort wasn't active and that the Minister was denying his return. The news confirmed it; the Muggles news didn't report anything strange and the only thing strange in the _Daily Prophet_ was the weekly article about how Daniel was an attention seeking little boy or how Dumbledore might be going senile.

Finally Harry's birthday came and just about everything he owned was packed away in his Hogwarts trunk, the rest would be taken care of by his mother who would shrink the rest as Harry wasn't allowed to do magic outside of school. Vernon was away at work and Dudley was with his friends when Lily arrived so she met at the door by her sister. Lily Potter greeted her sister warmly while Petunia just glared and spent the whole visit in the kitchen. It took his mother only a couple of minutes to shrink and pack everything away and soon they were off, Hedwig flying towards London. They Apparated to a small park across the street from where they were supposed to be and Lily handed Harry a small note that said, _The headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix can be found at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place_. After he read it the parchment was burned and a house emerged from between two others.

Upon entering, they were met by Ron's mother who gave Harry a strange look before dismissing him upstairs. His room was on the third landing, there was a sign over the door that said Regulus Arcturus Black. The room was slightly dirty, covered in green and silver hangings, and old newspaper clippings about Voldemort from years ago littered the floor. Knowing he could do worse, Harry used various charms to sweep up the dust and dirt, change the hangings, and vanish the old newspapers. While unpacking, he was joined by Ginny, who told him she wanted to get away from Daniel and her brothers. He was told that this room belonged to Sirius's brother, who had once been a Death Eater, and that all of the children in the house were supposed to help clean the house, which had been decided on as headquarters as Potter Manor was too obvious.

Time went by very slowly, by day as he, Ginny, Daniel, Ron, and the twins were sent all over the house to clean, destroy, or remove various things from the rooms. This was very easy for Harry has many of the charms Professor Flitwick had taught him were useful for this, even if that wasn't a part of their original design. By night the teens spied on the Order meetings, which consisted of talks of recruitment, information dispersion, and some kind of guard duty, all very boring but somewhat informative. Dumbledore, James, Lily, and Sirius also argued about Daniel's training and about something he should know, which Daniel was very interested in. Harry, remembering his mother's words from last year, thought that they were talking about the prophecy. He also spent some time with the former Professor Lupin who, along with his mother, taught him some interesting spells and helped him with his Patronus, which was now more defined but still shapeless except for a pair of wings.

With less than a week to go before they returned to Hogwarts, the letters finally arrived with the book lists. When Harry opened his, out fell a blue Prefects badge. His mother was so pleased when he showed her that she drew a good amount of attention from the other residents. To everyone's surprise Daniel wasn't made Prefect. Harry later found out in a letter from Hermione that she had been made the other Ravenclaw Prefect and Ginny told him that Neville had been made Gryffindor Prefect. Mrs. Weasley, Lily, and Lupin went to go get the school supplies, as well as some extra books for Daniel and Harry, because Mrs. Weasley feared her children going outside in the current climate. Under Dumbledore's orders, Daniel wasn't allowed to leave Grimmauld Place either.

On the morning of September First, the Weasleys and Potters were escorted to Kings Cross by half a dozen Aurors, including James Potter, Sirius Black, Mad-Eye Moody, and two new people, a tall black man named Kingsley Shacklebolt and a cousin to Sirius Nymphadora Tonks, who Harry and Ginny immediately liked. Tonks liked the two as well and became as sort-of older sister to them. All of the protection, according to Lily, was for Daniel's protection, though Harry thought it was unnecessary as Voldemort was lying low. He wouldn't risk exposure for an attempted attack on Daniel, and as Harry voiced his opinions to Ginny and his mother; Ginny agreed but Lily Potter didn't say anything. Harry didn't voice it, but he thought Voldemort was after something else as he learned, through the strange connection he had with the Dark Lord, that Voldemort was obsessed with some locked door.

On the train, Harry and Hermione went to the Prefect's Compartment and met Neville and the other Gryffindor Prefect Fay Dunbar, a tall brunette with blue eyes, short hair, and high aspirations; she wanted to be an Auror. The Prefects for Hufflepuff were Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott while the Slytherin Prefects were Draco Malfoy, who smiled and nodded at Harry, and his girlfriend Pansy Parkinson. The Head Boy was Cedric Diggory, which Harry though was a consolation prize for the Triwizard Tournament, and Head Girl was Phoebe Smith, a fellow Ravenclaw. Both Phoebe and Cedric gave the new Prefects the overview of what their duties were and set the patrol schedules for the next couple of months. Hermione then joined Ginny and Luna after the meeting while Harry sought out Lisa, who he spent the rest of the trip with, both talking about their summers.

* * *

><p><strong>Fay Dunbar is an official character in the Harry Potter universe. I found her while searching for a better replacement for Hermione as a Gryffindor Prefect, while Lavender and Parvati are often described as fashion crazed, I do believe that this is an exaggeration and that they would make good Prefects if given the chance. Phoebe Smith, however, is one of my creations. <strong>


	34. Chapter 34

**We have now officially entered fifth year, all right! I still don't own Harry Potter, but you all knew that.**

* * *

><p>As the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station, Harry, Hermione, and Neville once again left their friends to perform their Prefect duties. While doing this, Harry noted the return of the Grubbly-Plank woman, once again doing Hagrid's duties, this time directing the first years towards the boats that they would use to cross the Great Lake. By the time the three managed to rejoin their friends, only a handful of carriages were left. Lisa and Ginny were already waiting in the carriage, but Luna, probably finding a way to pass the time, was petting the Threstral that pulled the carriage. Although Harry wasn't able to see them, Luna had told him all about them. At first he had believed them to be one of Luna's fantasy creatures until he had tripped in the rain before his third year and fallen right on top of the creature, so now he believed. He had researched them and found out that they could only be seen by someone who had witnessed death. Although he didn't tell anyone, Harry could feel something there, like something was just out of his vision.<p>

As Harry entered the Great Hall, he smiled up at his mother, who gave a quick smile back before glaring at the witch she had been glaring at earlier. She was a short little witch with short mousey hair and wearing pink all over. She reminded Harry a bit of a toad. She was seated next to Dumbledore and was wearing a smile that made Harry shiver. She was identified, after the Welcoming Feast, as Professor Dolores Umbridge, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. After being introduced, Professor Umbridge interrupted the rest of Professor Dumbledore's Welcoming Speech to make her own.

"Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking up at me! I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I'm sure we'll be very good friends! The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching. Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historical school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. Then again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."

The speech itself bored Harry worse than Professor Binns going on about goblin revolutions, but he managed to both stay awake and pay attention, a feat not many other students managed. He understood the meaning quite clear, and judging from her looks, so did Hermione; because of the Minister's fears of Dumbledore, he was interfering at Hogwarts. He also knew that she would most likely target Daniel and his friends, and most likely him as well because he was his brother. Things at Hogwarts were not going to be good, not at all. After all the speeches were finished, Harry and Hermione, who was in her element, led the new Ravenclaw first years up to Ravenclaw Tower.

Harry's first week back was very good. A lot of people, when they saw him, either went another direction in the halls or quickly walked around him. However, it was quickly revealed that it was because of his likeness to Daniel and most people managed to actually look at the badges on his robes before trying to get away. Also, as this was their O.W.L. year, the teachers had piled mountain loads of homework for them to do, though the easiest was from Professor Umbridge who had all of her classes read from the theory book that she had assigned, they were not to practice magic in class. Hermione, as a fast and early reader, had finished the book before school even started and always finished rereading the assigned chapters within the first half of class, allowing her to read the books from other classes. Professor Flitwick had been the most demanded as he had assigned Harry a handful of books for his extra Charms work. Even his mother was giving out homework, and he didn't even have her as a teacher this year. She had called him into her office on the first weekend.

"Harry, things are changing fast in this world and I fear for us all. There are some things I want to teach you, things about our family. I need to teach you because not only do you need to know them but I don't want certain knowledge to vanish, I'm almost certainly at the top of Voldemort's hit list as Daniel's mother. In case I do die, I want you to know certain things, but I can't teach you them just yet. They need to remain secret from everyone, even your brother and father, so I need you to read this book and practice Occlumency, the art of closing your mind."

She then handed Harry a very rare book, _To Close the Mind, a Book on Occlumency_. From what he had read in the introduction, Occlumency was a very rare, extremely difficult ability to hide and/or control one's mind and emotions. Not many people were able to perform Occlumency well and it is difficult to teach. His mother was going to teach it to him however and this book was the foundation of it. It was also hinted that it would be useful in what else he would learn.

Daniel's training however, had taken a bit of a dive. When he had first come to Hogwarts, Daniel's knowledge had been close to a third year's because of his training, now he was barely past fifth. His half-hearted homework and exam scores had lowered his overall placement and now Lily was nagging on him to raise his scores, especially since it was O.W.L.s year. Professor Umbridge wasn't help though. She singled him out every class, giving out detentions like it was candy and with her no magic policy, his DADA scores were dropping fast. Some of the extra books Lily got in Diagon Alley helped a bit, but there was still no magic. He also argued with about Voldemort's return, actions that were whispered about by everyone at Hogwarts. It certainly didn't help his portrayal as an attention seeking little boy.

It soon became clear to the fifth years how bad O.W.L. could be. When they were not chipping away at the mountain teachers called homework, they were either in the library or their common rooms studying. Their essays were also graded a lot more harshly, even the Slytherins, who got extra help in Potions, had some grade drops, and this was only the first month. This also put a strain on Harry and Lisa's relationship. Being presented with the possibility of failing Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, which she needed to become a Curse Breaker, Lisa was now spending every free moment reading, studying, reviewing everything she had on the subjects. This left Harry with no time to spend with his girlfriend, and when he tried to help her, she all but bit his head off about it. This lead to a large shouting match between the two in the Ravenclaw common room for all to see. The two didn't speak to one another for several days until, both feeling sorry; they apologized and went on a Hogsmeade weekend together.

Dolores Jane Umbridge, recently appointed High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, sat in her office and thought. Her mission here was clear, not only to her but to the Hogwarts staff as well, to spy on Albus Dumbledore. Cornelius had chosen her because he knew that she was loyal to the Ministry. However, she wasn't just here to spy on Dumbledore, Fudge had given her other assignments as well. First and foremost was to find out how Dumbledore planned to take on the Ministry and put a stop to whatever plans he had. She was also to find out more on his Order of the Phoenix, which they were sure he had restarted with the goal of taking on the Ministry, and what teachers and staff were members. She also had educational goals to revolutionize the teaching at Hogwarts, make it better than what it had ever been before, that included removing teachers who were incapable of teaching; but it also had the added benefit of removing teachers too loyal to Dumbledore so that her takeover of the school would go smoothly. She also planned to find out which students were loyal to the Ministry as well, starting with the Slytherins, who hated Dumbledore as well.

Her final assignment was to spy on the Potter brothers. Daniel was a loose cannon, always bursting out about how he had fought You-Know-Who, spreading lies about his return, and telling tall tales, just to increase his own fame. She also suspected him of being a part of the Neo Marauders, a group that went around pranking everyone simply because they could. She would put a stop to that. Harry Potter, however, was a complete mystery. Cornelius had privately asked her to do this just before she had left to teach at Hogwarts. Although Daniel's story was widely known, nothing on his brother had come to light. According to Rita Skeeter, who was now doing silent research on Dumbledore for the Ministry, the Potter brothers didn't like one another. Since coming to Hogwarts, more had been revealed. Harry was a smart and magically talented young wizard, someone who would be an excellent ally for the Ministry. He was close to his mother and she believed that he was taking private Charms lessons from Professor Flitwick for some reason. Harry Potter was an unknown figure, and would be very useful to whatever side he chose. She just hoped that he picked the right one.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review!<strong>


	35. Chapter 35

**Here is chapter 35 for everyone, I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

><p>By mid-October, things had slowly improved for the fifth years. They were now used to the heavy homework load and worked harder to get higher grades on their essays. Even Daniel and Ron, the laziest students of fifth year were starting to get their act together, though this was after Umbridge posted a new Educational Degree banning clubs, team, and other organizations. Her target was, the Neo Marauders pranking group, but it had also affected Quidditch teams. The only class where there wasn't improvement was Umbridge's class, which was now competing against History of Magic as the most boring class at Hogwarts. It had become so bad that even Hermione was complaining about not being able to pass her O.W.L. Before, Harry would have suggested extra study sessions in the library, but with Umbridge's new decree, that wasn't going to happen. Hermione had also suggested learning from a competent teacher, but could think of anyone except Daniel and Harry. Daniel was brought up because of all of his extra training but dismissed because of his attitude, Harry because of the adventures in first and second year, was he dismissed himself as he was no better than Hermione. Luna had actually suggested that the two brothers working together, but nobody saw that happening anytime soon.<p>

Harry was now just as busy as Hermione. His training with Flitwick was now starting to go smoothly, although Harry still had a long way to go in reading his assigned books. He was now able to cast most spells in the blink of an eye and was able to hit a fly on the teachers table while standing in the Entrance Hall, according to Flitwick. He was also starting to go through sixth year charms pretty quickly. Professor Snape's tutoring was also starting to go well. While he and Hermione had spent the last couple of years slowly learning advanced techniques, they were now learning about various ingredients just before school let out last year and had now picked up where they left off. Roger Davies was also pushing the Quidditch team hard, occasionally Ravenclaw had managed to get the Cup, but never had they kept it for more than one year. As such, members of the Ravenclaw Quidditch rarely got homework done on nights they had practice. When he informed his mother about being nearly done with the Occlumency book, she had started to instruct him in the basics of clearing his mind and constructing shields which left him with a large headache afterwards, something he didn't need. In addition to the headaches, Harry sometimes didn't feel like himself; every other night he dreamed of walking down a long corridor to a locked door and then waking up. Other times he experienced strange mood changes that he knew had nothing to do with him. During each and every one of these occurrences he felt not his head, but his scar hurting for some strange reason, though it was most likely because of Voldemort.

By November, Quidditch Fever had swept through Hogwarts after being gone for a year. That also meant Quidditch rivalry, every day Harry heard about jinxes and curses put on Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch team members by their opponents. Draco Malfoy had also shown Harry a new badge he had made. It was silver with a crown and had _Weasley Is Our King_ etched onto it. He had been told that the new Gryffindor Keeper was Daniel's friend Ron and that he was a poor one at that. While Harry wouldn't sink to Malfoy's level to win Quidditch, he would take an opportunity if presented. The Ravenclaw team was practicing overly complicated moves to confuse Ron and make it easier to make goals, though they wouldn't be playing Gryffindor for a while, Hufflepuff was first.

Harry sat in the stands with Roger Davies and Grant Page, the sixth year Keeper, both he and Harry were up for Captaincy for next year and Davies wanted them to know the ropes. It was certainly an interesting game, although the Gryffindor Chasers were in excellent form bring up the score, the new Keeper kept letting in goals, keeping the score even. It didn't help that the Slytherins were singing some song about Weasley being their king or that their new Beaters hit the Bludgers as much as the opposing team's players. Throughout the game Harry could hear Luna's new lion hat roaring along with the rest of the crowd in support of Gryffindor. Soon Daniel caught the Snitch, barely beating out Malfoy, to win the game two hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty. After catching the Snitch, Daniel was hit with a Bludger and got into a fight with Crabbe, who hit the Bludger, and Malfoy and was joined by the Weasley twins before Madam Hooch separated them. All five were dragged off by Professor McGonagall with Umbridge following. It didn't take long for news to travel that Daniel and the Weasley twins were banned from Quidditch, even after the protests of Professors McGonagall, Potter, and Dumbledore.

The next morning all of Gryffindor seemed to be in a slump while the Slytherins looked like they had already won the Cup. With Fred and George Weasley, the best pair of Beaters Harry, and Hogwarts in general, had ever seen, and Ron as Keeper, Gryffindor was all but out of the running for the Quidditch Cup now. It was also noted that Hagrid had returned to school, a fact that caused many students from all houses to groan. Harry, along with a great deal of others, saw that he was covered in giant bruises and cuts. They looked even worse up close, which Harry got the chance to do Tuesday for Care of Magical Creatures. They also didn't foretell a good class, Harry and the others were expecting something either really horrible, vicious, or both. What he was not expecting was Thestrals, which was exactly what Hagrid showed them. Once again he was treated to the strange sight of almost seeing something, yet not being able to see the creature at all. From what Hagrid said though, you either saw the creature or you didn't and only if you witnessed death. Harry never saw anyone die before, or he thought he did, so he didn't know why he could almost see them and Hagrid was no help when asked.

Ravenclaw played Hufflepuff a few days later and Harry once again caught the Snitch before Diggory. 'If there's one Potter I don't mind losing to, it's you Harry' he had told him after both Seekers shook hands at the end. Harry knew that he was no longer worried about facing Daniel, whose spectacular performance during the First Task had shaken him up. Now Daniel had a lifelong ban and had been replaced by Ginny, who Harry started to see as a worthy opponent. She often teased him that it would be _her_ who would lead the Gryffindors to victory against Ravenclaw, winning the Quidditch Cup for the first time in ten years. Harry had to admit, so much just as good as Daniel, even when he was on his Firebolt.

With December's arrival everyone in the school was thinking about the upcoming Christmas holidays, and only a handful were thinking of the exams they had to take before the holidays. Harry and Hermione were two of those people because they would be the closest thing they could get to an O.W.L. exam without actually taking the exam. Harry, of course, planned to continue his two year reign as Hogwarts' top student in his year, a crown that Hermione was studying relentlessly to steal. With Quidditch taking a break after the Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw game, Harry was sort of free to study as well. Flitwick had paused his and Harry's sessions and they wouldn't continue until the start of the next term. Lily had said that his Occlumency shields would be ready to test over the holidays. If they passed, she would start to reveal some of her secrets, which Harry couldn't wait for. Prefect duties were the only interference to Harry's study time, one which Hermione shared but somehow overcame. He also wasn't sleeping too well, which was most likely affecting his performance, because of constant headaches, which were starting to get worse day by day.

_He was on the floor. He was powerful. The cold stone which was the floor didn't bother him one bit. Quickly, he slithered across the dark corridor. He had a mission to do tonight. There were vibrations on the floor, someone was walking. A man appeared, wand raised, though he did see him as the wizard didn't even think of looking down. While the man couldn't see him, he posed a threat to his plans tonight, he had to go. Slowly and carefully, he positioned himself in front of the wizard, who still wasn't thinking of looking down. Assuming that he lived tonight, which wasn't a very high probability; he would remember to look down whi__le__ checking a corridor. Faster than a human eye could blink, he struck. Once, twice, three times he sank his fangs into the man, injecting his venom, and tasting his blood. The man only let out a soft moan, not loud enough to be heard, it would be the last sound he ever made, one less member of Dumbledore's foolish Order. Now to continue his mission._

Harry awoke with a start, his scar burning like crazy. He remembered the last time he had a vision like that; during the Third Task last year, when he witnessed the rebirth of Voldemort through his eyes. There was no doubt what he had just witnessed was real, and had just happened. Harry also recognized the man, although he didn't know his name, he knew that he worked for Dumbledore, he had to know about this. He suddenly remembered the mirrors he and his mother used. Quickly getting out of bed, he tore through his trunk trying to find it. Once he did he frantically called his mother's name. It took a couple of minutes, but Lily Potter's tired face appeared.

"Harry, what is it? It's one o'clock in the morni…Harry! What's wrong?"

She had seen his worried face and knew something was up.

"Mom, is there someone on guard duty tonight, a man with red hair?"

He could see it in her eyes that he was right.

"How…?"

"It doesn't matter. What does matter is that I just saw him get attacked by a large snake, one that Voldemort owns. He's hurt and dying, maybe already dead, you have to tell Dumbledore."

"Alright Harry, just wait there."

She cut the communication and left Harry waiting at the foot of his bed. Feeling scared, nervous, and not at all like he wanted to go back to sleep, Harry took the mirror with him down to the common room to wait. After what felt like days, Lily Potter herself entered Ravenclaw Tower.

"You were right. The Weasleys' father whose name is Arthur was on duty tonight and has been attacked by some type of snake. I managed to tell Dumbledore and he was able to alert other members of the Order. Mr. Weasley is safe now thanks to you. The Weasley children have been brought to Dumbledore's office and he wants you there as well."

Not feeling better at all at the news of Ginny's father, Harry followed his mother to Dumbledore's office. Inside were Professor McGonagall and four very tired red heads. Ginny instantly went to Harry, her eyes filled with tears. Harry knew Ginny only cried when she was really scared.

"Harry what you are you doing here? Oh, it's horrible, Professors McGonagall and Potter said that Dad's been injured."

"You father has been hurt while doing work for the Order and it is because of Harry here that we know of it. I called him up here to find out how he knew about it."

He then handed the Weasleys an old kettle and they disappeared in a blue flash. The three Professors then turned to Harry and asked him to explain what he had seen. Slowly, and in great detail, he told them what had happened during the Third Task, and that night. When he had finished, both Lily and McGonagall look frightened while Dumbledore looked thoughtful.

"Dumbledore, how could this have happened?" Lily Potter's voice was shaky and easily betrayed how frightened she was for her youngest, and quite possibly favorite, son.

"I have a theory or two. What I think happened was that when Daniel defeated Voldemort fourteen years ago, some part of Voldemort was released. The protections of Daniel prevented it from attaching to him, so naturally it went to the only other person in the room. Tell me Harry, have you been feeling unnatural mood swings at all either this year or last?" At his nod, Dumbledore returned to his desk, thinking more. "I believe that Harry here can see into the mind of Voldemort and vice versa, a powerful, and somewhat advantageous ability, of course it does have its draw backs. We can't let this continue, we should start Harry on Occlumency."

"I've already started him on that Professor. I thought that it would be a good idea since he _is_ Daniel's brother. I was going to start testing his shields over the holidays."

"Good, good. That will save us some time. I think the stress of the end of the term, added to your weakened mind due to your first attempt of Occlumency, opened your mind enough that you were able to read Voldemort's thoughts. Whatever shields you had before are most likely destroyed now so you'll have to start over Harry. Once you think his shields are set Lily, please ask Professor Snape to check them for us, he has much skill in this field." With that, Dumbledore dismissed all three of them back to bed.

Dumbledore stared at the door which the last of his late night visitors had closed on their way out. Things were becoming very strange around the youngest Potter. First was the fact that he was a wizard when fourteen years ago, when he personally scanned the boys, he registered as a Squib. Next was his Parseltongue ability, something that was only revealed in Voldemort's family line. Then there was his magical ability. While Harry was just below Daniel in terms of magical power, Harry was miles ahead in magical skill, a part of the training Flitwick gave him no doubt. Daniel had eight years of training yet Harry was easily beating him with just four and a half. Both had been fairly even during the Dueling Club their second year, but now Dumbledore felt that Harry would win in a duel between the brothers. Finally there was the connection between Harry and Voldemort. Could it be that he had gotten it wrong all those years ago? Could it be that Harry was really the Chosen One? While evidence was starting to point that way, Dumbledore still believed Daniel to be the Chosen One because Voldemort went after him in both his first and fourth years, and Voldemort would know who had defeated him, he would make sure that that person was dead. Harry was very powerful, but Daniel was the one who was destined to defeat the Dark Lord.

* * *

><p><strong>This is my longest chapter yet and I'm quite proud of it. Dumbledore is now starting to think about that night. However, he is stubborn and won't admit that he was wrong until it stares him in the face, which may happen soon. You'll just have to wait for the next update to see. Sorry if anyone things that I'm going a little fast, things will slow down a bit soon.<strong>


	36. Chapter 36

**Here is the next chapter everyone. I _still_ don't own Harry Potter in any way, shape, or form.**

* * *

><p>When Harry walked down the stairs to the Ravenclaw common room he was in no mood to talk to his girlfriend. It had been early in the morning when his mother returned him to his dormitory and though he tried to sleep, his dreams were filled with variations of the attack on Mr. Weasley and he was often awakened by his scar burning. As a result, tired and irritable, Harry had snapped at Lisa when she tried to wish him Happy Christmas before they all left for break. This led to another argument between the couple for fifteen minutes in which they blamed each other for a lot of things and called each other every name possible. It finally ended with Lisa slapping Harry and running back up to the girls' dormitory, tears in her eyes.<p>

Harry and Lisa didn't see each other the entire ride back to London so Harry sat with Neville, whose girlfriend was most likely visiting her father in St. Mungo's. Hermione also sat with them, her nose stuck in _Achievements in Charming_, reviewing for O.W.L.s already. Luna was still at Hogwarts as she had decided to stay over the holidays. At King's Cross, both Potter boys were met by their father and Mad-Eye, who escorted them to Sirius' house. Only Sirius was there as the Weasleys had gone to visit their father in the hospital. When they finally got back, Mrs. Weasley gave him a bone crushing hug in thanks for saving Arthur although they didn't know each other. Ginny also gave a hug, though Ron and the twins looked like they would even say thank-you.

Harry spent the next couple of days reading and rebuilding his Occlumency shields as whatever had happened that night had utterly shattered them. Lily and Lupin, who had some experience in Occlumency to help control his wolf side, assisted a bit of few times. Finally, by Christmas, Harry's shields were fully repaired. Lily, using a weak form of Legilimency, the opposite of Occlumency, tested them and deemed them adequate for their work. They would continue setting them over the holidays and would ask Snape to test them once term started as asking him to come over to a house that held James, Sirius, and Daniel, wouldn't be good for anyone.

Harry awoke Christmas Day feeling horrible about his fight with Lisa days earlier; she had sent back her present, a necklace, unopened as she was still angry. She hadn't even sent him anything. Vowing to make it up to her once they got back, Harry started to rip open what presents he did get. After lunch everyone, including the Potters, went to St. Mungo's with Lupin and Tonks. Harry was delayed in meeting Mr. Weasley formally when his wife found out about a Muggle procedure that he and one of the Healers tried. Her yelling could be heard even from the tea shop where the other adults had taken the teens to get away. Harry and Ginny caught a glimpse of Neville on the way up the stairs but they were the only ones who noticed as they knew to look for him.

When he got back to Hogwarts, Harry immediately cornered Lisa and began to apologize. "Look Lisa, that morning, I wasn't my best. I was really tired and hadn't gotten much sleep that night. I was also thinking of the last time we fought and, well, I wasn't at my best. I'm just really sorry about everything, please forgive me?"

She just looked at him funny and Harry thought for a moment that she would dump him until she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry too, Harry. O.W.L.s has really gotten to me and I'm so stressed out about them. But that didn't give me the right to slap you though."

With that, they shared a quick kiss and everything was forgiven; though Harry did notice that that their relationship was a bit strained after that. They started spending less and less time together and only managed to talk during meals. He was still fearing that one day she might just decide to dump him. The other girls weren't much help, Ginny was too busy with Neville, Luna just had a smile like she knew everything but wasn't telling, and Hermione just wouldn't talk about Lisa with Harry. Whenever he tried to bring it up she either ignored him completely or left the room in a huff. He had also noticed that Hermione was acting weird around Lisa, something that had been happening since before the Third Task, according to Harry's memory.

A couple days after the start of the term, Professor Snape called Harry into his office to test his Occlumency shields. "Professor Dumbledore asked me to test your Occlumency shields for him to see if they are strong enough to hold out the Dark Lord from entering your mind. Your mother has said that you have good shields but don't forget, this _IS_ the Dark Lord we are talking about, only an exceptionally strong wizard would be able to keep him out of their mind for even a couple of minutes."

With that, Snape pointed his wand at Harry and with a shout of _Legilimens_, the test began. Harry's vision instantly blurred and he was starting to feel a large headache come on. He could feel Snape somewhere, trying to get into his mind but Harry did his best to push him back. Soon the attack ended and Harry fell to the floor panting. Looking up, he could see Snape leaning against his desk, also breathing heavily. "Not…bad Potter…you held off my attack for fifteen minutes. You were struggling and at a couple of points I thought I had you, but you held on. This is adequate work, but never forget, the Dark Lord won't take a break, and he won't go easy on you like I did, and he'll want to get into your mind, read it, manipulate it, and control it. Keep practicing and you may stand a chance."

A little tired, he went to the library to look for Lisa. He found her, once again buried in books on Runes and Arithmancy of all levels. She had a scowl on her face as she flipped through numerous books for an essay that was in front of her. "I got an A on my last essay and that is unacceptable, so please don't disturb me Harry." Not wanting another fight, he slipped into the chair across from her but no sooner did he sit down than he was suddenly filled with both unimaginable pain and complete joy. He was laughing. He had just received the best news ever, so he laughed.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY ABOUT ME GETTING AN A, HARRY POTTER?" He opened his eyes and stopped laughing. Lisa, with a dangerous look on her face, was glaring daggers at him. Gulping, he quickly thought up an excuse. "Sorry Lisa, I was just with Professor Snape and uh, I accidently breathed in some potion fumes. He said that the effects should wear off soon." He could tell that she did really believe him. After a few more seconds in which Harry thought he was dead, Lisa turned back to her essay, a scowl still on her face.

The next morning Harry spit out his morning Pumpkin Juice (unfortunately over Lisa) when he saw the front page of the _Daily Prophet_. There were ten black and white photos of nine wizards and one witch, all sneering, beneath the caption **MASS BREAK OUT FROM AZKABAN!** Harry wasn't the only one with a shocked outburst; around one third of the Great Hall made some kind of declaration about the news, there were some gasps, yelling, and even a few screams. Harry quickly scanned the paper reading about the escaped Death Eaters. The Ministry was giving a lot of details on the escapees but Harry noticed they didn't once mention how they thought the prisoners escaped. It didn't take long before everyone knew about the Death Eaters and their victims. All day Daniel was telling his tale about the graveyard last year with many more listeners than ever before.

Harry knew that the time had come, with the break from Azkaban, he decided that he and his fellow school mates needed to learn all they could about Defense Against the Dark Arts as Umbridge wasn't doing anything about it. Hermione agreed and they both, reluctantly, decided to include Daniel. The next couple of days, he and Hermione started to covertly spread the word of a club teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Daniel and Ron had agreed at once, with Daniel being excited at the thought of teaching others, but both became somewhat bitter at the thought of sharing the spotlight with Harry and Hermione, who both decided to help teach as well. The first meeting would take place in the Hogs Head on the first Hogsmeade visit of the term which, unfortunately for Harry, fell on Valentine's Day; he had been planning a date with Lisa that she would never forget.

The morning of the break out, Harry walked to his mother's office full of excitement; she would finally reveal everything she had kept secret at this meeting. He couldn't wait. His mother was seated at her desk looking at several pictures. When he got closer, he saw that they were of two little boys with black hair and hazel eyes zooming around on toy broomsticks; him and his brother. _Wait a moment, _Harry thought,_ I have green eyes. That can't be me with my brother._ Before he could voice his thoughts, Lily spoke up.

"This is a picture of you and your brother at your first Christmas. The only Christmas we all spent as a family. Back then you both had hazel eyes, you both looked just like your father."

"But then, why are my eyes green now?"

"Remember when I told you that all muggleborns come from wizard families that have mostly died out or are related to Squibs? What isn't known is that the Soleil Family is one of a handful of a group of families that have special magical powers that are only transferred through the family, that is, they can't be learned. The Slytherin Family, although they weren't always known by that name, is another with their ability to speak Parseltongue. The Soleil Family has the ability of Animavidecy, that is, the power to see directly into the soul."

Harry was too shocked to speak. The soul was one of the three most important parts of a magical being, which also included the mind and heart. Seeing into the mind allowed someone to know another's thoughts, while seeing into the heart was rumored to see someone's feelings. Sight into the soul was beyond seeing into both the mind and the heart, it allowed someone complete access to one's inner being, one's life force, it was completely unheard of. Why control the mind or heart when you can control the soul. Lily continued to speak.

"The Soleil Family was both respected and feared with this rumored power, they didn't let anyone know that they were capable of such power. The Soleil's were able to identify those among them who had this power by the color of their eyes. They were always an unnaturally beautiful green, and only revealed when the child is exposed to powerful magic. It was the eyes because that was how the Soleil's viewed the soul, through the eyes. It was where the phrase, 'the eyes are the windows into the soul' comes from. When they learned of this power, other families tried to replicate and protect themselves from it, the results are Legilimency and Occlumency. Both attempts failed. You and I both have the ability to use this power Harry; we both were exposed to powerful magics at a young age. I had blue eyes at first, but when I started doing accidental magic at a very early age, they changed to green. You can imagine your grandparents Marcus and Rosemary's surprise when their youngest daughter suddenly had green eyes instead of blue. You,however, were revealed that Halloween night, when Voldemort's attack on you failed."

* * *

><p><strong>Gasp! Revealer time! You'll have to wait until next chapter to get the whole story. <strong>


	37. Chapter 37

**So sorry for the delay, I have some more problems on my end but they should all be taken care of now. To fully apologies, I will post the next chapter later today. I own nothing except the new branch of magic Animavidecy.**

* * *

><p>"<em>You, however, were revealed that Halloween night, when Voldemort's attack on you failed."<em>

At this, Harry couldn't help but yell out, "But Daniel's the one Voldemort attacked fourteen years ago not me, everyone knows that."

Lily just shook her head. "No Harry, he attacked you. Right now you, me, Voldemort, and maybe Wormtail are the only ones who know. I am positive that he knows and that he most likely hasn't told his Death Eaters yet because he doesn't trust those that escaped Azkaban fourteen years ago. He'll probably tell them now that many of his loyal followers have escaped.

"You remember what I said last year about a prophesy? Well, it's because of it that I know that you're the Chosen One, not Daniel. Dumbledore revealed it to me, James, Alice, and Frank Longbottom before we all went into hiding. Alice and Frank knew because when it came out, the prophecy didn't say who it was about. All we knew was that if referenced either you, Daniel, or Neville. I remember the prophecy word for word because it sent chills down my spine when I first heard it. It goes; _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies._"

Harry could tell what his mother meant; he too got chills just listening to the prophecy. But he still didn't believe himself as the one the prophecy mentioned, Daniel was marked, he kept showing of his scar whenever he could. Harry also couldn't figure out this mysterious power, whatever it was.

"You see Harry? This proves that you are the one destined to take down Voldemort. Both you and Daniel are marked with scars from the night Voldemort attacked us, but who has the scar that reacts to Voldemort himself, who is exceptionally skilled in magic, and who has a completely unknown power at his disposal? Although Daniel is of the Soleil Family, he doesn't have that power, you do. Dumbledore thinks that the _power he knows not _is love due to his upbringing, but I think different. You are the one who will defeat Voldemort!"

Everything was starting to make sense to Harry now.

"I've suspected this for many months now, but it was finally proven to me the night you saw Arthur Weasley being attacked. Once that was revealed, I knew. When I first saw your eyes when we first met in your third year, I started to suspect something. When I finally found these pictures I started to piece things together, this is why I had you start training with Flitwick. Dumbledore and James won't believe this, they've spent too much time and energy in training Daniel that they won't see the truth until its right in front of them, your father was always so close-minded. Although divorce is illegal in the wizarding world, I've been planning on leaving James for some time now and I'm finally ready to do so. I've gotten us a nice house in the country where we can work on your Animavidecy and you can also invite your friends over during the summer. I do love Daniel but he will stay with James, there is no doubt about that. What do you think Harry?"

Harry was completely shocked, everything his mother had revealed to him that night was almost too much information; it was he, not Daniel, that was to defeat Voldemort, the prophecy, Animavidecy, and finally his mother leaving his father. He thought for several minutes before everything in his brain started to fit like a jigsaw puzzle. All the answers he needed were before him.

"When I was growing up with the Dursleys, I hated you and father for abandoning me. I wanted to grow up and make something of myself, become someone better than both of you, show you that I was worthy. I also hated the name you gave me, I hated being named after my father, and I wanted to change it when I got older but I didn't know to what. Now I don't hate you anymore, I've learned that hate just causes more hate and suffering, now I know that I can and will be better than both father and Daniel, now I know what my new name will be. Soon, my name will be Harry Marcus Soleil."

Lily smiled. "It's fitting. The first know Soleil with Animavidecy was called Marcus Soleil, now you've taken up your birth right. As you are fifteen, you can legally change your name now. As soon as the year is over, we will both go to the Ministry and change our names. I too will take up the name of the Noble Soleil Family. Together, we will restore our ancient family. Also, I want you to know that I never wanted to give you to the Dursleys. When I saw your eye color after the attack, I knew that you weren't a squib; I knew that you had the family's power. James and Dumbledore however, wouldn't listen to me. They used a combination of various spells and potions to get me to give you up and then made me forget about you. I fought, I couldn't give up the only other Animavidecy user in the family, but I was too weak. I only managed to remember once I saw your eyes again; my inner will remembered and slowly broke through."

As it was the middle of fifth year, Lily and Harry decided to start Animavidecy training during the summer when they'd have more time and it wasn't as difficult to schedule time between Harry's O.W.L.s studies and Flitwick's training. The morning of Valentine's Day, Harry met Hermione at the Ravenclaw Table; Lisa was sleeping in a bit as she wanted this day to be perfect. "Don't forget to be at the Hog's Head at two Harry." Every hour or so, Hermione would remind him and it was starting to get on his nerves.

"I won't Hermione; I know when and where the meeting is. By the way, what are you going to do in Hogsmeade for a couple of hours?"

She just gave a secretive smile and said, "I've asked Terry Boot to escort me around Hogsmeade."

That caught Harry's attention. He had known that other guys had started finding her attractive ever since the Yule Ball last year and some of his dorm mates had let loose a comment here or there about it. Looking down the table at Boot, who was talking with his friends, Harry got an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach about it, but decided not to say anything as he didn't want to hurt Hermione's feelings. He quickly finished his breakfast and joined Lisa in the Entrance Hall to grab a carriage to Hogsmeade.

They spent the entire morning walking around the village window shopping with Lisa hanging onto his arm. Around twelve-thirty they went to a little tea shop called Madam Puddifoot's. Harry thought that it was an ugly sort of place all dressed up in frills and bows but Lisa seemed to like it so he arranged his face so that his revulsion didn't show. They spent some time there drinking coffee and eating sandwiches and when it came time to leave, Harry was all too glad. Leaving the shop, Harry looked at his watch and saw that it was nearly time to meet Hermione.

"Lisa, we should head up to the Hog's Head now."

"Didn't we just have lunch?"

"Yes, but remember we're supposed to meet Hermione up there."

At once Lisa became very cold. "Yes, I remember. We're to meet Little Miss Perfect Hermione Granger about some club that came up with. A club that she managed to persuade you to help her run, a club that will cut down on _our_ time, a club that _I_ don't approve of." Harry didn't know what was going on, but for some reason Harry was beginning to think that Lisa didn't like Hermione.

"I don't need your approval to be in a club Lisa. Besides, I promised Hermione that I would help her."

Lisa's anger seemed to have reached its limit. "Fine! Fine, I see how it is. If you would rather spend more time with Hermione Granger than your own girlfriend then that's fine by me. We're through, Harry Potter!" With than she spun around and ran away, though he could just see tears starting to fall down her face.

Harry just stood there for a couple of minutes, completely unable to believe what had just happened. He didn't know why Lisa was so against Hermione lately; she was fine with her in her first four years, but now. Now Lisa had dumped him and Harry's heart felt like it would break into a million pieces. Maybe their relationship was still salvageable. He would ask Hermione what was wrong and maybe she would be able to help. He and Lisa would apologize and everything would be back to normal. With hope in his heart, Harry ran for the Hog's Head.

Harry arrived just a couple minutes before two. Hermione and Terry Boot were standing next to the door waiting for him. As he saw them, he got the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach again when he saw that they were holding hands. Boot was the first to speak on Lisa's absence. "Hey Harry, I thought Lisa was supposed to be with you, where is she?"

"She…she just dumped me. I have no reason why."

Harry looked at Hermione as he said it, hoping she would get the hint. He thought he saw a strange smile on her face but it disappeared before he could be sure. "That's too bad Harry. Everyone is already inside waiting for us, so we better get inside and start the meeting."

Hermione was right, almost forty people total from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff House were waiting in the back of the pub with Daniel and Ron. Harry and Hermione joined Daniel and Ron at the front of the group while Terry sat down with the rest, who all had different looks varying from excitement to worry across their faces. Hermione took the lead and cleared her throat to start the meeting.

"Welcome," she said nervously. "Erm…well…we," motioning to the Potter boys, "had the idea that with the return of L-Lord Voldemort that it would be a good idea to train ourselves in Defense Against the Dark Arts, since, you know, Umbridge isn't going to teach us herself."

"Who says he's back," shouted a blonde Hufflepuff. Before Harry could say anything, Ron stepped forward.

"Dumbledore says he's back you dunderhead, and if you don't believe him, look what happened to Azkaban a month ago!"

Ron's words seemed to quiet everyone as they all remembered the article from the _Daily Prophet_. "The general idea is to meet once or twice a week and practice several spells. I know many of you" looking at Harry, "have Quidditch practice so I thought that holding meetings while the Slytherins practice would be good. In case the meeting time times change, I've performed a little spell on this galleons to display the time when one of us" motioning to Harry, herself, and Daniel, "change it. All we need now is a location and your willingness to come to meetings."

"Actually," spoke up Daniel, "I have a good location in mind. It's the Room of Requirement hidden on the seventh floor, across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy."

"How did you find the Room?"

"I have my sources." This left Harry with little doubt in who had told him about the Room.

"Very well, if you would all just sign this parchment we'll know that you're interested and we'll send you the time of the first meeting soon."

Hermione put a long piece of parchment on the table. Many looked nervous about signing it. Harry immediately grabbed the quill she had also laid out and signed at the top. "This is Hermione Granger we're talking about," he said to the group, "do you honestly think that she'll leave the parchment lying about for _anyone_ to find." This was all it took for everyone else to stand up and sign the parchment. Excited about forming the club, Harry completely forgot about asking Hermione to help him with Lisa.


	38. Chapter 38

**As promised, here is the next chapter. You all should know what I do and do not own.**

* * *

><p>It was a couple days later when the new club had its first meeting. Harry and Hermione were second to arrive after Daniel and Ron. Hermione had refused to help Harry as she said," She doesn't like me and me helping you actually won't help at all." The Room was large and lit with torches, the walls were lined with wooden bookcases and instead of chairs there were large silk cushions on the floor. A set of shelves at the far end of the room carried a range of instruments such as Sneakoscopes, Secrecy Sensors and a large, cracked Foe-Glass that Harry recognized from a book at Grimmauld Place he found during the winter break. Daniel and Ron were standing in the middle of the Room talking quietly but stopped once they appeared. Hermione quickly went over to the bookcase and started reading while Harry took a look at the various objects and trinkets.<p>

Slowly, in small groups, the others arrived and sat on the cushions, waiting for the meeting to start. At eight the door closed for the final time and locked itself and Hermione took her place at the front with the three boys. "Before we start, I think we should come up with a name for us, but it should be one that we can refer to outside of these meetings and doesn't advertise what we are doing."

Ron spoke up immediately. "It should be Daniel's Army because obviously he's our leader. It could be the D.A. for short."

"All three of us are leaders," Hermione scolded Ron, "But I do like the D.A. idea, no one would know what we are talking about."

"How about Dumbledore's Army as it's what the Ministry fears." This came from Ginny and was quickly accepted by most of the group. Hermione took out the parchment with all of their names which had Harry's at the top of the list, pinned it to the wall and wrote **DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY** across the top. When Hermione finished, Harry took the initiative and started handing out assignments.

"As there are so many of us and three teachers, it would be best if we split into three groups and worked with an individual teacher on three different spells. After several minutes we will change teachers and work on that teacher's spell. I'll take one group over there and work on stunning spells, Hermione can take another group over there and work on shield spells, while Daniel works here with the last group on disarming spells."

Harry's idea proved useful as him, Hermione, and Daniel could work with individuals that were having trouble with the spells that they were teaching, and it also allowed the newly named D.A. to learn more spells quicker. They usually spent a week or two, which included usually one or sometimes the rare two meetings, learning three different spells before switching to another group of three. Harry also incorporated some of his training with Flitwick, like accuracy and speed, into the meetings. The meetings were not without risk however, Harry suspected that Umbridge knew of the secret meetings but had no way to prove that they were happening. He and his fellow prefect from Hufflepuff Ernie Macmillan often talked about being discovered during their patrols yet agreed that it was important as it would help them outside of Hogwarts and with their O.W.L.s.

There weren't very many meetings as each Quidditch team practiced at least twice each week, sometimes more when they were playing in the upcoming Quidditch match. Harry cheered with the rest of the Hufflepuffs when they barely beat Gryffindor in their match, though he felt sorry for his friends Ginny, who was the new Seeker, and Neville. So the D.A. meetings fell into a common routine for Harry that ruled his life at Hogwarts with nothing unusual until early March. Students had long known that Professors Trelawney, Hagrid, and Potter were on probation, Trelawney because of her inability to teach, Lily because of her closeness to Dumbledore, and Hagrid for both of the reasons. There was a running bet to see who would be sacked first though Lily Potter wasn't expected to be fired as she only taught the first years Potions and helped the fifth and seventh years study for their exams. Money finally changed hands when Professor Umbridge publicly fired Trelawney and tried to have her expelled from Hogwarts's grounds but failed at the later because of Dumbledore's interference. Harry could only silently laugh at Umbridge's face as Dumbledore used her own rules against her and then assigned a centaur as the new Divination professor.

Harry's attempts to talk to Lisa however, were nothing to laugh at. He tried all manners of begging and persuasion he knew to attempt to get Lisa to take him back but her mind was set. So long as Harry was friends with Hermione and went to the D.A. with her, Lisa absolutely refused to get back together with Harry. Harry thought that she was being unreasonable and unfair and when he told her such she screamed at him that she never wanted to see him again. She then walked up to the girl's dormitory and completely avoided Harry whenever they saw each other. Hermione found all of this very amusing, even more so when he asked her why Lisa was acting this way or why she was laughing. For some reason, hearing Hermione's laughs made his stomach do turns. He also found himself watching her unexpectedly, once such time was during a D.A. meeting.

Harry's group was going over the Reductor Curse while Hermione's was going over the Impediment Jinx. Suddenly the doors to the Room of Requirement burst open and a house-elf ran in, heading straight for Daniel.

"Mr. Daniel Potter sir, Mr. Daniel Potter sir!"

"Dobby? What are you doing here? What's going on?"

"She knows Mr. Daniel Potter sir, she knows! She is coming now!"

There was no doubt who the _she_ the house-elf was referring too, it could only be Umbridge. Everyone was either watching the house-elf beat itself up or looking towards him, Daniel, or Hermione for instructions.

"RUN!"

This caused a mass exodus towards the door as everybody tried to leave at once. Harry was at the back of the group with Daniel and quickly looked around for Hermione. He couldn't find her anywhere but his eyes fell on the parchment at the back of the room with all of their names. If Umbridge got her hands on it, it wouldn't matter if she caught any of them or not, everyone was listed on that document, it had to be destroyed. There wasn't enough time to go and get the parchment and escape so Harry put his training with Flitwick to use. Taking quick aim as he was leaving the room, Harry fired an _Incendio_ at the parchment and left.

He ran down the corridor, Daniel was just ahead of him. There was no one else around. Looking at his watch he saw that it was a couple of minutes before curfew, he and the other prefects were allowed to be out for a bit longer, but the others weren't. Suddenly Harry heard footsteps behind them; they were going to get caught. An idea came to Harry and he once again quickly to aim and fired a spell. Daniel fell on the ground hard and loudly. A second later, Draco Malfoy appeared around the corner, his wand raise to fire a spell. He took a quick look at Daniel on the floor; Harry's wand pointed at him and smirked.

"Hey Professor, we've got one!"

Delores Umbridge breathlessly appeared around the corridor and smiled. "Well done Draco, and what are you doing here Mr. Potter."

Harry took a deep breath and made up an excuse on the spot. "I was performing my rounds when I saw someone running down the corridor. I yelled stop but they didn't. I followed and fired a Trip Jinx at them, and then Draco came around the corridor."

"Well done Mr. Potter, fifty points to Ravenclaw. You've just caught who I suspect is the ring-leader in an illegal club. Take his wand and bring him with me, we are going to see the headmaster. Draco, you and Miss Parkinson continue to search for the others. Don't forget the bathrooms and the library; look for anyone out of breath. Come Potters."

Pleased at how well his little trick worked, Harry continued to play along and grabbed Daniel's wand before helping him up and dragging him after Professor Umbridge. As he passed, Draco gave a smile and nod towards Harry. The entire way there, Daniel glared at Harry and whispered 'traitor' under his breath. While Professor Umbridge's head wasn't looking at them, Harry shook his head and mouthed 'trick'. Daniel didn't get it right away but after the third time he finally nodded and held his head up high, defiant like.

They soon reached Professor Dumbledore's office and barged right in. Harry quickly noticed that not only was Professor Dumbledore in the office but so was Professor McGonagall, the Minister for Magic, Ron's brother Percy, his and Daniel's parents, Sirius Black, and two Aurors, one of whom Harry recognized as being in the Order of the Phoenix. It took everyone in the room a second to see who had entered and how they were positioned. While James and Sirius glared at Harry for having his wand on Daniel, Percy and the Minister glared at Daniel, while everyone else except Umbridge had blank faces.

"Well, well, well, what have we got here." The Minister was unusually happy.

"He was headed back to Gryffindor Tower, Minister; however his brother managed to get him."

"Good, good work. It looks like _one_ of your sons knows where his loyalty lays, Potter." James and Sirius just glared at Harry harder while Lily raised an eyebrow at Harry. "Do you know why you are here Potter?"

Defiantly, Daniel replied, "I'm here because my brother used a Trip Jinx on me. Isn't he supposed to be a prefect?"

"So you do not know why you are here. You do not know that you have broken any school rules or Ministry Decrees? It would be news to you that an illegal student organization has been discovered in this school?"

"Yes."

"It does not matter Minister, I have our informant here. Come in girl."

The door to the office opened and a girl came in. Harry recognized her as Cho Chang's best friend Marietta Edgecombe, a girl who Harry knew didn't like him because she believe that he had stolen Cho's position on the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team. He also recognized her as a member of the D.A. who rarely showed up to the meetings. Of course, right now she was almost unrecognizable as across her face, in large purple spots, was the word SNEAK. After the first meeting, Hermione had told him that she had charmed the parchment so that no one could reveal the purpose of the meetings without suffering horrible jinx. Faced with this jinx, Harry's respect for Hermione's spell casting increased and he once again felt a funny feeling in his stomach.

"After dinner, Miss Edgecombe came to my office and told me of an illegal meeting of students in a room called the Room of Requirement, after which, this hex appeared. As she refused to say anything more afterwards and I was unable to remove the hex, I gathered a group of students loyal to the Ministry and proceeded to the Room. They must have been forewarned however because as soon as I arrived, they had scattered all over. I ordered the students to search for the others while I went to investigate the Room. Draco Malfoy found Mr. Potter had been caught by his brother and called me immediately. When I searched the Room I discovered this."

All eyes turned towards Umbridge as she brought out a charred piece of parchment, the one that had once held all the names of Dumbledore's Army. It was almost completely destroyed except for the title at the top and one name; Potter. Once again Harry smiled, they had nothing except the name of the group and one member, whose name was actually his but they would think it was his brothers. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Lily however looked like they recognized the writing but didn't say anything.

"It figures that Potter would be the one to lead the illegal group, and look what they've named themselves. You, Mr. Potter, are in violation of Ministry Decree Number Twenty-Four; you will be expelled from Hogwarts. And you two," The Minister now looked at the Potter parents. "You both will be placed on probation. James, you are removed from your post as an Auror until future notice. You, Sirius Black will be put on desk duty, also until further notice."

"I think then, the game is up Cornelius. Would you like a written confession or will a statement in front of all of these witnesses suffice. Remember, its _Dumbledore's_ Army, not _Potter's_."

Umbridge's and the Minister's faces were full of shock, then glee. "Albus Dumbledore, you are under arrest for suspicion of treason against the Ministry of Magic. You will be taken to the Ministry to be formally charged, then to Azkaban to await trial."

"Ah, yes, I thought we might hit that snag. You seem to be under the impression that I will come quietly."

Suddenly, before anyone could do anything, there was a bright flash of light followed by several voices shouting out, many bangs of wands, a couple of groans, and then silence. Looking around, Harry saw that the Minister, Umbridge, Percy, the two Aurors were on the ground with Dumbledore standing over them.

"Well done Mr. Potter on your quick thinking, both in the Room and out, twenty points to Ravenclaw. Because of you, Cornelius Fudge doesn't have much evidence against me and all of your classmates got off free. You also managed to gain the trust of Professor Umbridge, I'd advise you to exploit it as it could be very useful for us. Minerva, thank Kingsley for me on modifying Miss Edgecombe's memory. The rest of you be careful as Fudge will try to remove you from your positions." With that, Professor Dumbledore disappeared from his office just as the Minister's entourage was stirring awake.

* * *

><p><strong>How's that for a little twist, huh? Read and review. <strong>


	39. Chapter 39

**O.K., here is the next chapter. I've been a bit slow in writting chapters for this story due to a stupid English paper that I had to write. Everything is figured out now so all I have to do is write it down. Have a good day everyone!**

* * *

><p>Overnight the school changed dramatically. By morning, notices bearing the signature of the Minister for Magic himself appeared all over the school announcing that Umbridge had succeeded Dumbledore as head of Hogwarts. Of course, the story of how was very entertaining. By lunch, Harry had heard no less than twenty different tales of how Dumbledore escaped ranging from the stupid, like Dumbledore Disapperating from his office, to the completely crazy, like Dumbledore defeating half a dozen dragons to escape while simultaneously battling over a hundred Aurors, all within a minute and with just one spell. Harry had a feeling that Daniel was the source of the latter one as he and his brother were the only witnesses; Marietta was currently in the Hospital Wing.<p>

The Potter brothers were besieged with requests for the story all over. While Harry told a compressed version, Daniel's seemed to get grander and more bizarre with each telling, not that anyone cared. Harry was also the hero of the D.A., with his destruction of the list, nearly every member of the D.A., except Daniel, got off completely scot free. Marietta was, of course, hated by all the D.A. except Cho Chang, who defended her at every turn. Marietta herself was unaware of it all because she was too ashamed to show her face which still hadn't been cured of the large boils, a testament to Hermione's spell work.

Another change was the formation of the Inquisitorial Squad, small group of students selected by Umbridge to enforce order and the rules among the student body. Unfortunately, most of the Squad used their power to bully others. Harry first encountered the Squad the morning after Dumbledore's departure while he, Hermione, and Ernie were discussing Umbridge's new power. After hearing Hermione make a rude remark about Umbridge, Draco took ten points from Ravenclaw because of the remark and because of her being a Mudblood. He also took off ten from Ernie when he tried to point out that he didn't have the authority. After hearing Malfoy brag about his new power, Harry, remembering Dumbledore's words, took Ernie to Umbridge's office where they both joined the Inquisitorial Squad's ranks; Harry, because of his so called loyalty to the Ministry and Ernie, because of his pureblood status. Although both weren't very liked by their housemates after, when they explained that it was to prevent the Squad from being unfair, they houses relented.

Umbridge wasted no time in using them. Just two minutes after their induction someone set off a large crate of fireworks. Harry and Ernie were assigned to locate and punish those responsible but after working for a minute they decided that they would be able to catch them. Meanwhile, Umbridge spent her first day as Headmistress trying to remove the fireworks to little effect. Everyone enjoyed seeing Umbridge's frustration as she tried and failed to get rid of the dozens of fireworks that made their way into her fellow teacher's classrooms. The teachers themselves just stood back as they weren't sure if they had the authority to remove them or not.

The fireworks were just the beginning however. Never before had he appreciated the Neo Marauder's work as much as he did now. Although they had stopped after October, they were now back in full swing, aided by a small handful of other students. Of course, Harry's Guardians continued their work, but this time protecting the students from the Inquisitorial Squad. Nothing was ever traced back to him and his friends; though they backed off a bit once they remembered that exams were six weeks away. Harry spent a large amount of time either in the library or Ravenclaw Common Room studying with Hermione or going over career information packets. Many times Harry caught himself staring at Hermione for no reason.

A couple weeks after Easter holidays, notices went up all over the houses that each student would have career advice with their head of house over the next week. Hermione had a minor freak-out session about missing a class and then about what she planned to do after Hogwarts. When Harry arrived at Flitwick's office a half hour past two on Thursday, he found Professor Umbridge was also there, no doubt listening to what someone had planned for their future.

"Welcome Harry, this meeting is to discuss your career ideas after leaving Hogwarts and help you decide what classes to take in your sixth and seventh years. Your test scores have always been pretty high so I think that just about anything is open for you. So, what do you want to do?"

"I agree with you there Flitwick." This came from Umbridge, who looked like she just couldn't help but butt in. "Mr. Potter's grades are exceptionally high and he has the makings of an Auror. I know that his brother has ambitions of being an Auror, not that he'll be able to, but I think Mr. Potter here will be a fine Auror. Maybe just as good as his father was, better even."

Harry knew she was trying to persuade him into joining the Auror Corps. It would look really good for the Ministry if the younger brother of the Boy-Who-Lived joined. It would also cast doubt upon Dumbledore if he, Harry, helped the Ministry itself. In the past Harry would have listened to her, but after hearing what his mother had to say about the truth, he realized that he was already better than his father; he just had to prove it. "I thank you Professor, but I have no interest in becoming an Auror. I was actually thinking Professor Flitwick, of maybe becoming a professor here at Hogwarts."

"I see Harry, and what field would you like to teach? A professor needs at least an Outstanding on their N.E.W.T. for their desired course, not to mention a couple more years of study outside Hogwarts."

Nervously, Harry relied, "I, well, I was thinking Charms."

Flitwick starred at Harry for a couple of seconds before he let out a laugh. "I see why you would choose that course; you've been doing so well in my class." It was true, in training Harry had nearly finished seventh year Charms and was now practicing silent casting, a much harder branch of magic. Flitwick nodded in thought before continuing. "I have been here for a long time and I never really thought about retiring before now. You are an excellent Charms student Harry and I think that you would make a fine replacement after a couple more years. I'll tell you what, after you graduate, spend a couple of years doing a bit more of studies and then I'll take you on as an apprentice. Once I think you have a grasp on things, I'll let you take over for me, does that sound good?"

"Of course, Professor."

"Excellent! I suggest you study hard Mr. Potter, I look forward to the day I can welcome you to the Hogwarts teaching staff. I think we're done here Flitwick."

For the first time since she was appointed to Hogwarts, Harry actually felt like he was starting to like Umbridge, but only a little. He knew that she was just trying to continue to get him on her side but he didn't care. Of course, like everything else, this didn't last for very long. In late April, much to the fifth and seventh years' dismay, Umbridge removed Lily Potter from her position as a Hogwarts teacher. Officially, this was because she didn't do much teaching but Harry suspected it was a way to control Daniel. Without his mother there to protect him, Daniel would be open for Umbridge to do anything to him. Harry, Hermione, and Lily were the only ones who know that this tactic wouldn't work; if Daniel didn't behave while his mother was a teacher at his school, why should he when she wasn't. The only thing this did was force Harry to use his mirror to talk to his mother, which was less than when she had been in Hogwarts do to O.W.L.s coming up.

Umbridge seemed to be on a role after that as a couple of students were expelled not long after. She also tried to expel the Weasley twins when they turned a corridor into a large swamp but they summoned their brooms and escaped her and the Inquisitorial Squad. Harry and Ernie slightly helped. In an attempt to catch them, they had _accidentally_ stunned Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. This, of course caused the entire school to rebel in some way. Pranks were going off in every direction, students were getting sick in Umbridge's class, Peeves was doing anything and everything imaginable, and nearly every member of the Inquisitorial Squad was sent to the Hospital Wing every day. Harry and Ernie weren't attacked as much but they had to persuade their fellow students to do so otherwise their cover would be blown.

Of course, as the end of May approached, the Gryffindors didn't need much prodding to attack Harry. Being a member of the Inquisitorial Squad was an excellent excuse for trying to take out Ravenclaw's Seeker before the next match, the winner of which would get the Quidditch Cup. Harry knew it was their best option because Ron's horrible Keeping ability was going to get Ravenclaw loads of points. Their only hope was for Ginny to get the Snitch before Harry and before the score became too lopsided. Both Harry and Ginny were looking forward to flying against each other; although Daniel had the better broom and more experience, Ginny was the better flyer and Harry couldn't wait to see how he stacked up against her.

When the morning of the match came on a clear and sunning day, Harry felt more excited than he could remember. The stands were divided into red, led by Daniel and the blue, led by Pansy Parkinson conducting the Slytherins song 'Weasley is Our King' and Luna with her large eagle hat. The Hufflepuffs were divided in support of either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. With a nod towards Ginny, Harry took to the skies fast, the rest of his team following. Turning towards the stand he saw Malfoy and Umbridge sitting together, along with most of the Inquisitorial Squad, no doubt expecting trouble from the Gryffindors. Not too far away, sitting next to McGonagall, wearing a large smile was his mother. Pleased at seeing her, Harry quickly started to look for the Snitch before Ginny had a chance to catch it.

Barely a minute into the game and the Ravenclaws were already celebrating as Roger Davies made the first goal. The Slytherins immediately started singing their song, drowning out the groans and boos from the Gryffindors. Soon Bradley was approaching the goalposts and the Ravenclaw and Slytherins were ready for another goal. Unexpectedly, Ron managed to save this one, to the cheers and support of the Gryffindor crowd. Heartened by that save, the Gryffindor Chasers managed to make a goal themselves, tying the game. Ravenclaw got another surprise when Ron saved another goal, quite spectacularly. It quickly became clear that Ron had upped his game as the score was now ten to thirty with Gryffindor in the lead. Everyone stopped watching the Chasers and looked towards Harry and Ginny, it was up to them to win the game now.

Harry's job was now much harder. He, like the rest of his team, had believed that Ron would do horribly, granting Ravenclaw so many goals that it didn't matter if Harry caught the Snitch or not. Now Gryffindor was in the lead with their Keeper in spectacular form. Harry looked for Ginny. Although he had the better broom and more experience, Ginny was smaller and lighter, granting her a faster acceleration than Harry. He saw Ginny on the other side of the pitch, but that wasn't all; the Snitch was a little ways away from her, behind her back and under her so that she couldn't see it.

Harry immediately sped towards the Snitch. A couple seconds later, the commentator Lee Jordan announced that he saw the Snitch and Ginny turned around. It took her all of two seconds to see Harry speeding down towards the ground and to locate the Snitch herself before she too went after it. Harry had a tremendous head start and was already at top speed but Ginny was closer, it was going to be close. The Snitch knew it had been spotted and flew off to Harry's left, both Seekers turned after it. They were neck to neck, Harry's right hand and Ginny's left just inches from touching it. They both stretched their arms and at one point Ginny's fingers just grazed it before Harry finally caught the Snitch, ending the game one hundred and seventy to forty.


	40. Chapter 40

**At last, here is the next chapter for all of you loyal readers. I'm sorry for those of you who aren't happy that I haven't gone from canon much in this story but this is the way I write it. I hope you all like this chapter.**

* * *

><p>The roar of the crowd seemed to deafen Harry as he landed, the Snitch still struggling in his hand. Ginny landed next to him, looking sad but smiling. Sticking out his hand Harry said, "Good game, it was the best I've ever had." Ginny took the hand and shook it just before she was pushed aside by the entire Ravenclaw Quidditch Team, scrambling to congratulate him. Roger Davies hoisted the Quidditch Cup high for all to see and the sea of blue cheered louder than ever, Luna's hat screeching loudly. Members of Ravenclaw House poured onto the field to celebrate and Harry was nearly knocked over by a brown missile. For some reason, Hermione hugging him made him want to perform a very large and perfect Patronus.<p>

Unfortunately, the cheer of winning the Quidditch Cup for the second time didn't last very long; thankfully for Ginny, as Daniel kept bragging how much faster and better _he_ could have caught the Snitch. O.W.L.s were now approaching. As they entered the month of June, homework was now a thing of the past as all the teachers were having them review for their exams next week. All of the fifth and seventh years were now stuck inside studying harder than ever. Harry had even overheard a seventh year say that he wished that Umbridge hadn't sacked Harry's mother. Harry had only gotten a couple of minutes to talk to his mother after the game, most of which she spent reminding Harry to study hard. Harry took her advice to heart and did study hard, but not as much as Hermione who yelled at anyone who made so much as a squeak when she was studying. It got so bad that even the Inquisitorial Squad was afraid of her.

Harry's friend Ernie joined him, Hermione, and Neville in the library often, but Harry wished he didn't; as many times he tried to compare notes on how long everyone studied, which was driving him crazy and Neville scared. A black-market trading in memory improvement devices, anti-sleep aids, and other junk had appeared and cost Harry some study time in trying to shut them down. He did notice Ron and his brother buy some Brain Elixir that he knew was fake, but didn't stop them; if Daniel couldn't pass his O.W.L.s now, what chance did he have in the career field? In their last class on Friday, Professor Flitwick gave them the examination timetable and reminded them that any sort of cheating devices were prohibited and those caught using them would be punished most severely.

The first exam would be Charms on Monday. Confident because of his training, Harry helped Hermione study and took great joy in teasing her about a question that she didn't know as it was an N.E.W.T. level question. While leaving dinner the night before, they saw about a half dozen older witches and wizards talking with Umbridge; they were obviously the examiners. Their leader, Professor Marchbanks, was reliving her examination of Dumbledore out loud, much to Umbridge's frustration. Due to a small amount of nerves, it took Harry a while to fall asleep that night. About half of his dream was a collection of weird happenings during the exams while the second half involved him walking down a long stone corridor to a spinning room filled with doors. When he woke up the following morning, Harry had a small headache that he wasn't sure was due to his nerves.

The written portion of the exam went really good and was only eclipsed by his practical in which he astounded Professor Tofty with ability in Charm work. He did a lot better than Daniel, who was next to him and had swelled his rat to the size of a large dog, causing several people to scream and run from the Hall before Harry shrunk it back. Both Transfiguration and Herbology went well. On Thursday they had Defense Against the Dark Arts and were treated to a show when Daniel's stag Patronus galloped across the Hall.

"Well," asked Professor Marchbanks, who was examining Harry this time, "I wonder if you can do the same as your brother Mr. Potter."

Harry was really nervous about this, the last time he had practiced the Patronus Charm was back over Christmas Break when he only managed a medium sized animal with wings. Professor Marchbanks was looking eagerly at Harry and he knew that he had to at least try, a partial corporeal Patronus was better than nothing. Daniel, who had obviously overheard, was now looking at Harry with a smug look, thinking that he couldn't do it. Thinking of what to use, Harry was reminded of the Quidditch Final when Hermione hugged him. He didn't know why but that seemed to be the memory to use. Letting the memory fill him, Harry felt warm as he shouted - "Expecto patronum!"

Much to his and Daniel's surprise, something did come out. Out of his wand came some sort of bird, it wasn't large like an eagle or small like a finch, but was a good size. When it flew back to Harry, he could see that it was a crow or some type of raven. It slowed as it approached Harry, who unconsciously stuck out his arm for it. It landed on his forearm in a way that reminded him of Hedwig. The claws and feet felt unusually warm and solid while the Patronus itself was really light. There was a clapping sound behind him and Harry turned back to see Professor Marchbanks smiling brightly and quickly make a note on her parchment. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Daniel's shocked face turn into a scowl.

The next day was Ancient Runes and here Harry felt he didn't do as well as he could. He couldn't decipher some of the symbols and got a couple more mixed up. As he and Hermione were discussing the exam on the way back to Ravenclaw Tower, they heard Professor Umbridge shriek with rage. From the yells, it was visible that another Niffler had gotten past her new security door and was trying to bite off her leg. Laughing silently, the two went back to the common room to study for Potions on Monday. They also past a crying Lisa Turpin on the way. When she saw them, she sent a very powerful glare at Harry, then to Hermione, and back at Harry. Unlike the past couple of months since they broke up, for the first time, Harry didn't feel anything as he passed her.

The next week they started with Potions which, due to their tutoring with Snape, both Harry and Hermione felt they passed. Hermione was in a foul mood that night as she studied for her Arithmancy O.W.L., no one bothered to get to close lest she tear off their heads. Care of Magical Creatures went fine, Harry thought on Tuesday while Hermione suffered through Arithmancy. When she returned, she forced Harry to go over the entire exam with her as she felt that she had completely failed despite Harry telling her that she would fail a class when Draco Malfoy married a Muggle. Astronomy was a pain for Harry because, as it was at night, he wouldn't get as much sleep and time to study for History of Magic the next day.

Already tired from the excessive amount of studying he had done the last two weeks, Harry just wanted to finish his Astronomy O.W.L. and go to bed. He felt his eyes getting heavy when he was suddenly jerked awake by a commotion on the grounds. A small group of wizards led by Umbridge had gone to Hagrid's cabin and whatever had happened inside had gotten the half-giant mad. Harry and the entire fifth year class watched as Umbridge and her group sent dozens of stunners at Hagrid but they only bounced off. The wizards, however, weren't as impervious to Hagrid's fists. He had knocked down about half of their numbers, with Umbridge screaming the entire time, when the front doors opened and Professor McGonagall rushed out onto the grounds, yelling for everyone to stop. Many people screamed as Umbridge and what remained of her companions sent stunners at her, all of them hitting at once. Angered even more, Hagrid knocked out the rest of Umbridge's group, leaving only her, before running off into the Forbidden Forest.

Harry did not sleep well at all that night and was forced to sleep in a bit to get close to being well rested. How he looked forward to the end of the exams when he could sleep for longer time AND better. History of Magic wasn't as bad as Harry thought it would. Although Binns lectured on and on, reviewing his History of Magic book helped a great deal, so much that he knew that he must have gotten an A at least, better than what most people got. Happy at finally being done, Harry went back to the common room to put his stuff away and sleep a long sleep. He was barely asleep for what he thought was a minute when he was shaken awake by Hermione.

"Ernie says Professor Umbridge is looking for you."

Confused at what Umbridge wanted, Harry got up and made sure his Inquisitorial Squad badge was on his robes before he left the Tower. Ernie was waiting outside for Harry and together the three walked down to Umbridge's office. Once there, they were met with a strange sight. Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle, Warrington, and Millicent Bulstorde held Daniel, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna in various states of control. Daniel's eyes widened when Harry, Ernie, and Hermione entered the office.

"Potter." Professor Umbridge looked absolutely livid. She pointed towards the Inquisitorial Squad's hostages. "I have just caught your brother attempting to use my fireplace to floo call someone, these four were either look outs or were captured when they tried to help the others. I want you to tell me just who they were trying to contact." Obviously in her angered state, Umbridge thought that Harry might know something of value. Off to the side, Daniel was mouthing words at Harry, something along the lines of _he's got them_.

Focusing on his brother Harry responded, "I don't know Professor, have you tried asking them?"

"Of course I asked them, you silly little boy, but they refused to tell me and I know you know something."

"He's got them; You-Know-Who's got them both." Apparently realizing that his brother couldn't read lips or he was out of patience, Daniel shouted out what he was trying to communicate to Harry. Umbridge seized upon it.

"Who's got who, where are they, what is he talking about?"

Harry starred hard into Daniel's eyes. His face was full of fear. Everything made sense to Harry now. He nodded slightly to Daniel and his brother relaxed slightly though fear was still all over his face. Now all he had to do was get out of there.

"I'm afraid I don't know what my brother is babbling about. Maybe he's finally going insane."

Umbridge didn't like his answer at all. Behind his back, Harry motioned to Ernie and Hermione to draw their wands, their cover would have to be blown now.

"You are being unhelpful Mr. Potter. Now I order to tell me what you know or I shall strip you of you badge, take one hundred points from Ravenclaw, and see you expelled!" Harry still refused to answer. "Very well, you leave me with no choice. Since empty threats will not work against you I will have to use force. You have been such a helpful student Mr. Potter and it pains me to do this. I'll have to use the Cruciatus Curse."

"NO!" Hermione's screams distracted everyone. Suddenly her wand was flying, pointing at Umbridge. "I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM!" Umbridge's wand went flying and Harry exploited everyone's surprise.

"NOW!"

Before anyone could say or do anything Harry quickly stunned Malfoy and Warrington, while Ernie took care of Crabbe and Goyle, and Hermione finished Bulstrode and Pansy. Free of their captures, Daniel and the others grabbed their own wands and those of the incapacitated Inquisitorial Squad. All five were surprised at the speed at which the three took them out. Umbridge herself was shaking, whether from fear or anger Harry didn't know.

"You never worked for me, have you? You've just been working for Dumbledore this entire time. One hundred points from Ravenclaw for this Mr. Potter!"

Harry just smiled. "You're no long in charge." Then he stunned Umbridge. After double checking that she and her goons were unconscious, Harry turned towards his brother. "Alright Daniel, what is this about?"

Taking a deep breath, Daniel began to explain. "After the History of Magic exam, I took my stuff up to my dormitory when my mirror began to vibrate." At this he held up a mirror, the same kind of mirror that Harry and their mother used. "When I answered, You-Know-Who's face appeared."

Hermione and Ginny gasped while Ernie shuddered. "You sure it was Voldemort?"

Ignoring the winces around them Daniel nodded. "Positive. I'll never forget the night he returned. That white face isn't something you forget easily. Anyways, he told me that he had our parents at the Department of Mysteries and that if I ever wanted to see them again alive, I was to join them. He then showed me them Harry. They were on the ground and unconscious, but I would recognize them anywhere. That was why I was using Umbridge's fire, to make sure that they were alright. I contacted Headquarters but Kreacher was the only one there. He was the only one there, mom and dad wouldn't go back home, would they?"

Harry didn't know, but he did know how to check Daniel's story. Ordering the group to follow him, he led them back to Ravenclaw Tower. Once there, Luna and Hermione joined Harry in his dorm room where he found his own mirror and tried to call his mother. But no matter how many times his called his mother's name, she wouldn't answer; the mirror remained blank.

* * *

><p><strong>How's this nice little cliff-hanger for everyone? You'll have to wait a while to find out what happens and as a heads-up, the DoM scene will take up a couple of chapters because there is so much. One last thing, does anyone know how to set up a poll. Some help here would be great.<strong>


	41. Chapter 41

**Hello all. I have some good news and some bad news. Bad news first, I've almsot finished writting this story, only two or three more chapters to good. So this story will have its final chapter posted in a couple of months, sorry. Good news; I set up a poll, correctly I hope, that will allow you all to select the story I next write. It is hopefully posted on my profile so you can see the summaries of the story and then select the oen you want. Now, on with the story.**

* * *

><p>"Lily! Lily Potter! Mother! Please respond!"<p>

Hermione and Luna could only watch as Harry shouted at his mirror, begging for his mother to answer. After five minutes, Hermione placed her hand on Harry's arm, looking at him sadly. He ignored her and continued to call for his mother. Hermione then lightly grabbed his hand and the mirror and shook her head slowly. Harry hung his head sadly.

"Harry…"

Suddenly Harry's head came up again and his face was full of anger. He quickly tossed the mirror on his bed and went out the door. Sharing a quick look, Hermione and Luna followed. Outside the Tower they met the rest of the gang. They were sitting on the floor waiting and once he saw Harry, Daniel stood up.

"Well?"

"You're right, they're gone. I couldn't contact mother. Where do we need to go?"

"The Ministry of Magic, Hall of Prophecies in the Department of Mysteries. How are we going to get there?"

"I have an idea, follow me." He then led the others away from Ravenclaw Tower through Hogwarts, talking as he walked. "Remember that lesson on Thestrals Hagrid did? He said that they have excellent sense of direction. A couple of them should get us to London. In the meantime," Here he turned to Ernie. "I think it's time for another change of leadership within this school. I need you to gather the members of the D.A. and take care of the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad. It shouldn't be too hard as half of the Squad and most of the more experienced members are looked up in Umbridge's office. Make sure you keep them there as well."

"What about the teachers?"

"They won't give you any trouble. If they notice fast enough they'll take control themselves. Once the Squad is taken care of alert Professor Snape to what is going on for us. He'll take care of everything; there isn't enough time to tell him now."

Ernie and Harry switched coins so that he could call the D.A. and then signal Harry once they had taken Hogwarts. The group split up at the Entrance Hall, while Ernie stayed, Harry and the others went out onto the grounds. As they did, they felt the coins in their pockets grow warm and Harry felt his scar burn slightly. As they headed towards the forest, Harry heard Ron and Neville wondering how they were going to get the Threstrals. Harry himself was starting to wonder that too as he hadn't thought about it. If Hagrid was still around he might've helped them, but he was gone.

Once they got to the forest, Luna went in a completely different direction than they were headed. She motioned for them to follow and confused, they did. She led them into a small clearing a ways into the forest, not far from the lake. There they found Luna petting the air. Neville was standing off to one side looking nervous. Remembering the weird way he saw the creatures, Harry focused his eyes on the area Luna was petting. Feeling a tingling sensation in his eyes, Harry slowly started to see the Threstral. Although it was still difficult to see, Harry saw that it liked Luna's attention as it was leaning into her touch.

"Can it help us get more of its kind?"

Harry's question was answered by the Threstral, which threw its head back and let loose a long, shrill cry that sounded like a monstrous bird's. Daniel, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione shivered at the loud sound of a creature that they couldn't see. It didn't take long for several more Threstrals to show up.

Walking over to what appeared to be the leader of the group that showed up Harry started to climb on, somewhat clumsily. He saw that Luna was already seated comfortably on the Thestral she had been petting and Neville was also struggling to get on a Thestral. The others however, were just standing around looking nervous and Harry remembered that they couldn't see them. Abandoning his attempts to mount, Harry and Luna helped the others get on theirs. Hermione was especially nervous as Harry helped her on hers. Once everyone was on a Thestral, Harry climbed back onto his.

"Ministry of Magic, London please."

The Thestral nodded its head and, with a high jump, took to the skies, nearly unseating Harry. The other six also took off and soon they were leaving the castle behind. To Harry's right was the slowly setting sun, casting a beautiful glow over the scenery. Hermione and her Thestral flew in front of the sun's light, making her glow. Hermione gave Harry a nervous smile that made his stomach jump higher than his Thestral did. He then felt his coin go warm again, signaling that Ernie and the D.A. had taken Hogwarts.

The trip didn't take as long as Harry thought it would. The Thestrals were flying so fast that it was hard to keep his eyes open because of the wind and difficult to hold onto the creature. The dying sun and the fast winds chilled Harry but he kept strong. Soon they had reached London and the Thestrals took a sharp dive, causing many of them to scream. Despite this, they landed smoothly; Harry dismounted, a little shaky. He was one of the few however; Ron, Daniel, and Neville fell off theirs, and Hermione and Ginny dismounted like him, while Luna got off so gracefully that it was like she had practiced for days to get it right. Daniel led them over to a small, old telephone booth and they all crowded inside. He did something Harry couldn't see by the dial pad and then a female voice sounded.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Daniel Potter, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, and Harry Potter to rescue James and Lily Potter from Voldemort."

"Thank you," said the cool female voice. "Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes. Visitors to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wands for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium"

Harry heard coins slid down the change chute and before he could wonder why, the whole booth shuddered and slid down under the pavement. Hermione handed him a small, square silver badge that read _Harry Potter, Rescue Mission_. Hermione was wearing a similar one and he realized what had come out of the coin chute. A faint gold light appeared at their feet and slowly rose up until they could see the tunnel they were in. Although dimly lit, Harry could see the entire length of the hall was covered in fireplaces and at the end was a large fountain with golden figures of a wizard, witch, centaur, goblin, and house-elf, the last three looking up adoringly at the wizard and witch. From what he knew of magical creatures, only the house-elf's depiction was correct.

As they walked by, Harry could see jets of water pouring from various points of the statues. An inscription near the bottom named the fountain as The Fountain of Magical Brethren. The passed a small desk labeled **Security** towards a group of gold-gated lifts. They piled into one and Daniel asked, "Department of Mysteries."

The lift shuttered and they went down again. It took a short time but they were soon in a long empty corridor with a simple door at the end. Harry recognized it from the time when he saw the attack on Mr. Weasley. Remembering that stirred something in Harry, he was starting to make connections. Daniel said that Voldemort and their parents were in the Hall of Prophecies, and that a prophecy had been made just before his and Daniel's birth. His mother said that it was because of the prophecy that Voldemort went after them but he didn't know the entire thing. Harry suspected that something wasn't right and drew his wand; he did not want to be unarmed the rest of the time they were here.

"Stay together from here on out."

Harry didn't know if they heard him or not. Daniel ran towards the door and opened it, the rest following him inside the room. Everything except the flame on the torches was black; the floor, ceiling, and the doors and walls. There were a dozen doors in which to take but nobody knew which one to take. Ron closed the door behind him and suddenly the walls started moving, spinning around so fast that Harry felt like he was going to be sick. As quickly as they started, the walls stopped but no one knew which door they had entered from or where the other doors led.

"Which door do we take?"

"Everyone pick a door and look to see what's inside."

They did as Hermione said but when they all tried to open them at the same time, none would open. Harry thought that they all were locked and it seemed so when he tried to open his door alone and it wouldn't budge. However, Neville's door opened and led to a dark room with a stone pit. The only thing in this room was a large cracked stone archway with a fluttering veil. There was something mesmerizing about it. As he took a step closer, Harry thought he could hear voices coming from the veil. To his right, Luna was also staring at the veil as if it held all the answers in the world.

"Harry, let's go, this place gives me the creeps."

Hermione's voice drew him out of whatever trance he had been in, looked at her and nodded. The group left the room with the strange archway and before they closed the door, Hermione made a mark on it. When they closed the door, the room spun again but the mark stayed. Harry tried the door to his immediate left but it was either the same door as before or it was also locked. Daniel opened the next door and went through. The room was high and filled with large shelves which held hundreds of dusty orbs.

"This is it. This is the room I saw when You-Know-Who contacted me. Come on, its row ninety-seven."

The group ran, looking quickly for number ninety-seven. They found it and went down the row, but at the end nobody was there, it was empty.

"They're not here."

Harry's sense of a trap was now full out, and he was quickly looking in all directions, waiting for it to be sprung.

"Look at that Daniel, it has your name."

That all looked. One of the orbs at the end of the row where they were standing was marked **S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.**** The ****Dark Lord and (?)Daniel Potter**. It was the prophecy concerning the defeat of the Dark Lord, the one that his mother thought was really about him, not Daniel. Before he could say or do anything, Daniel had reached up and taken it from the shelf. They all crowded around it to see. Harry reached out to grab the orb and put it back but before he could a voice spoke behind him.

"Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."

Harry spun around. On all sides of them, with their wands pointed straight at them were a dozen Death Eaters. It _was_ a trap, and they had fallen for it completely.


	42. Chapter 42

**Sorry for the late posting, I was working on my latest English project. I thank all of the forty or so people who've already voted on my poll, your input is very much ****appreciated. In case you haven't already, please go to my profile and vote on the story you want me to post next, as this story is finally all typed up. You should all know what I own by now.**

* * *

><p>Harry and the others were surrounded by six Death Eaters on both sides. Taking a quick look, Harry saw that all but one had hoods and masks covering their faces so that they couldn't be seen. The only one that was uncovered was a man that Harry had no interaction with but couldn't help but identify as his son had inherited his looks. Lucius Malfoy's hand was outstretched towards Daniel, asking for the prophecy, but his wand and eyes were focused on Harry and he knew why. Many, if not all, of the Death Eaters no doubt knew that <em>he<em> was really the Boy-Who-Lived by now. If they didn't, Voldemort most likely hadn't trusted them with this information.

"Where are my parents?"

Malfoy and the others Death Eaters laughed at Daniel's question, though the loudest came from a witch to the right of Malfoy. Her cackling reminded Harry of what a real wicked witch sounded like.

"I don't know Potter and I don't care. The traitor Wormtail told us about the mirrors your father and Sirius Black used and the Dark Lord figured we could use them. It wasn't hard for that house-elf of your godfather's to steal your father's mirror while he was at your headquarters. A little Polyjuice Potion and we had two 'captives' here for you to trade. Now, give us the prophecy in your hand and we'll let you all go."

Malfoy's taunt put some of the last pieces in place for Harry, but there were still a few questions he had.

"Why did you all need Daniel to come all the way here and get it? Couldn't you have done it yourselves or were you too…"

"Of course the Dark Lord had us try and steal the prophecy little Potter. He's been sending mindless fools under the Imperius Curse to steal for him. However, only those who the prophecy was made about can remove it."

That cleared everything else up. The only way Voldemort could've gotten the prophecy was if either he came down to get it himself or send Daniel to do it as Harry wasn't known as the real Boy-Who-Lived. And as the Ministry was ignoring his return, he could focus all of his efforts into getting Daniel down here and then sending Death Eaters to kill him and take the prophecy, completing two goals at once. Now the only thing left was to get everyone and the prophecy away from the Death Eaters. Harry had no qualms about destroying the prophecy as he already knew it, but as the Death Eaters wanted it so bad, they weren't going to try much in fear of smashing it themselves.

"Now give us the prophecy Potter, or we'll start using our wands."

"Let me do it. Give me the red-headed girl. Let him watch as I torture his friends."

Harry felt Neville and the others move to protect Ginny at the witch's words. Harry knew that it was a soft bluff, they couldn't get too close to grab her without risking attack or they could've just tried to grab the prophecy when they did. They also couldn't use the curse from afar for fear of hitting the prophecy. It was mostly physiological, though Harry now had a plan. Quickly and quietly he whispered the basics for the plan to Hermione and tried to distract the Death Eaters while she told the others.

"Why should we believe that just handing over the prophecy would allow us to go free, it wouldn't do for your image to allow four blood traitors, a muggle-born, and the Boy-Who-Lived to escape. Whatever would your master say?"

The way Harry phrased it made it clear to the Death Eaters that he knew the truth. All eyes were now on him. The witch wasn't very happy.

"You think you know him. You filthy little half-blood!"

"Calm down Bellatrix." Harry felt Neville stiffen at the name of his parents' torturer. He knew that she wouldn't hold back for very long, even with Malfoy in charge.

"NOW!"

"REDUCTO!"

Seven spells flew through the air, six hit shelves while Harry's hit the wand hand of the Death Eater on Malfoy's right. All of them scattered in different directions with glass and wood coming down upon them. Harry couldn't see very well as he had his arm covering his eyes but he could see just enough to find a door and run through. Harry found himself in the office part of the Department of Mysteries, all over were desks belonging to the various workers. Quickly closing the door, Harry leaned inward to listen.

"Leave Nott and Jugson, leave them. We need to organize! We'll split into pairs and search. Be gentle with the Potters until we've got the prophecy, you can kill the others if necessary - Bellatrix, Rodolphus, you take the left; Crabbe, Rabastan, go right -Rookwood, Dolohov, the door straight ahead - Macnair and Avery, through here - Mulciber, come with me!"

They had taken out two of the Death Eaters, but ten remained. Harry knew that he had to find the others before the Death Eaters did. He heard footsteps approaching his door and quickly hid. If they were Death Eaters he would surprise them and take them down, one less group. If it was some of the others, they would hook up and find the rest. Two tall figures emerged from the door, wands held high. When the y didn't see anyone, they slowly started to search. Harry carefully stood and pointed his wand at the closer Death Eater. A silent Stupefy took care of him. Unfortunately his fall wasn't as quiet. His partner reeled around but wasn't quick enough; he too fell to Harry's spell.

Knowing that his spells could be undone, Harry hid them in different spots in the room. Just as he was finishing, he heard Ginny scream from another door. Dropping the Death Eater, Harry burst through the door to see a third standing over Ginny while his partner and Neville were on the ground, the latter with a heavy nose-bleed. Harry's entrance distracted the Death Eater long enough for Ginny to hit him with a Bat-Bogey Hex. Rushing over to help his friends, Harry noticed that Neville's wand was broken in half.

"They took us completely by surprise. They got Neville with a spell and he fell, breaking his nose and wand in the process, while I got the other. He was about to finish me when you arrived Harry."

"Come on, we've got to find the others."

Ginny helped Neville up and Harry led them to another door. The room they were in was filled with clocks, half of which were smashed. The fourth Death Eater was moving around screaming until he ran into a large cabinet and fell over and didn't move. Harry felt better knowing that at least half of the Death Eaters were disposed of. The next room contained a large tank filled with brains and the others. Hermione looked unconscious and leaning on Luna who was favoring her left foot. Daniel and Ron seemed somewhat unharmed.

"What happened to all of you?"

"Me and Daniel ran into this room after you guys were separated from us. Since we had the prophecy, we thought that we ought to stay here in case you guys were looking for us. I mean, they just want the prophecy right?"

Harry didn't even bother to correct Ron; his sister smacked him over the head, and instead turned towards Luna. She seemed to understand his silent question about Hermione.

"We escaped into some kind of large space room but they quickly followed. One of them fired some kind of spell at Hermione after she silenced him; it looks like it hurt her real bad. I destroyed Pluto to escape but broke my ankle in the process. I managed to get her through that door and found these guys."

Too late did Harry act. More Death Eaters emerged from the door Luna just motioned at, casting spells. Luna was hit and went flying, dropping Hermione in the process. Harry and the others sent stunning spells flying but almost all were blocked, only one Death Eater fell. The D.A. was not so fortunate. One hit Ron who started laughing crazily and his spells started to go wild, hitting his own sister. Neville wasn't much help with his nose-bleed and without Ginny supporting him; he too fell to the Death Eaters. With everyone else incapacitated, Harry knew that he and his brother had to draw the Death Eaters away from the others. Motioning to Daniel, the brothers ran to the closest door.

"Follow us Death Munchers!"

They didn't need telling twice. The half-dozen or so Death Eaters quickly followed, not firing spells for fear of hitting the prophecy. When he opened the door, Daniel froze and Harry crashed into him. Both boys fell down several stone steps, acquiring multiple bruises along the way. Once they stopped moving, Harry looked up and saw that they were once again in the room with the veil. Laughter echoed off of the stone walls as the Death Eaters entered, a couple from different doors. There were nine in all; the two from the Prophecy Room must still be there as well as the one they stunned in the Brain Room. Harry knew that there was no point in either running or fighting now; they were surrounded and outnumbered completely, their only hope was that Professor Snape had told the Order as Harry planned.

"Enough games Potter, hand over the prophecy like a good little boy."

"Le-let the others go and I'll give it to you!" said Daniel.

A few of the Death Eaters laughed.

"You are not in a position to bargain, Potter," said Lucius Malfoy, his pale face flushed with pleasure. "You see, there are nine of us and only two of you… or hasn't Dumbledore ever taught you how to count?"

"He's not alone," came a voice, "we're here to help him."

Everyone turned around. Through one of the doors, Harry recognized it as the door to the spinning room, came seven people: Sirius Black, Lupin, Tonks, Moody, the black Auror from Dumbledore's office whose name Harry thought was Kingsley, and the Potter parents. The Death Eaters, caught off guard with the appearance of the Order, were momentarily shocked but soon leaped into action. Harry and Daniel split up, Daniel heading towards his father and godfather while Harry joined his mother in a two-on-two duel. The sides were now even between the Death Eaters and the Order. While the Death Eaters had more experience, they were tired from chasing seven teenagers around the Department of Mysteries; the Order's people were fresh and had surprised the Death Eaters.

Spells flew all over the place as multiple duels sprang up all over the Veil Room. Kingsley was dueling Malfoy, Tonks with Bellatrix who had abandoned her mask, Moody and a man Harry recognized as Rookwood traded blows. James and Sirius were also in a two-on-two duel with masked Death Eaters while Daniel fought a man who was tall and had long black hair and a beard. Harry's opponent looked similar to Daniel's while his mother battled Antonin Dolohov, the man who killed the Prewett brothers. Lupin was fighting a tall, muscular man Harry thought he saw his third year. Neither side was willing to give up.

There was a high yell of triumph. Harry turned and saw Tonks fall, Bellatrix cackling over her body. Sirius rushed to face her, his old opponent slowly getting up halfway across the room. He was distracted once more by one of the many doors crashing open and this time, Dumbledore strode through, his face full of anger. Many of the Death Eaters panicked and tried to run from the only one whom their master feared. The dazed Death Eater, seeing the tide turn, pointed his wand at Daniel, who was still distracted by his duel. The prophecy flew from his grip and sailed across the room towards the Death Eater. Harry, knowing that the Death Eaters couldn't get the prophecy no matter what, turned and fired a Reductor Curse at it. The spell hit the orb which shattered and rained glass shards over the Death Eater who summoned it, causing him to scream in pain. Harry paid for this however. While his back was turned, both Death Eaters he and his mother had been fighting attacked Lily Potter at once. Harry turned back to the duel soon enough to see his mother fall to the ground and not move.

* * *

><p><strong>So sorry for ending it here, please don't kill me. I also apologize because I'm going to take a break for a week, so I won't post next week. I'll upload two new chapters instead after the weekend. Please review, vote, and don't kill me. <strong>


	43. Chapter 43

**O.K., after a nice long break I'm back. Here's how things are going to work from now on, I know you all what to see what's going to happen so I'll make a deal with you all. I'll post the next chapter in the story if the chapter before it gets lots of reviews. That means if a chapter gets a whole bunch a reviews I'll post the next chapter whether it's the next day, two days after, or even the same day. I will post the next chapter a week after the previous if it doesn't get many reviews. This way, you all determine the speed at which I post for this story. **

**Also, I love all the feedback from my poll. I've written the first two chapters of the top two stories so I'm ready when **_**Return of the Squib Son**_** is finished. If you don't like the top two stories, vote. A bigger summary of the winning story will be included in the author's note of the last chapter of this story. Now for some messages. **

**Lovetopanick: not a bad suggestion, but that's the plot of another Harry/Hermione WBOL story, **_**Unsung Hero**_**. It's not a bad read so you should check it out.**

**Socar37: that is a really good idea, maybe I could use that in another story I'm considering, but not this one as its finished. Sorry.**

* * *

><p>Harry stared frozen at the witch on the ground before him. Her fiery red hair was sprayed across the ground, her wondrous green eyes were closed, and her beautiful face was pale. <em>She isn't dead, she isn't<em>. Harry couldn't tear his eyes from the body of his mother, the sights and sounds of battle around him forgotten. Suddenly a sound broke through the silence and it rang in his ears; laughter. He turned from his mother's body and towards the laughing face of Antonin Dolohov. Anger surged through Harry's veins, only one thought consumed him; making the Death Eaters pays for this.

Too late did Dolohov and his partner learn the dangers of angering the Boy-Who-Lived, whose powers were unknown by their master, who had warned them against hurting him as he was the Dark Lord's to kill. Too late did the Death Eaters remember that the boy who had defeated their master when he was only a baby was standing in front of them and that they had previously been dueling. Too late did they remember the number one rule of combat; _never_ turn your back on your opponent. When they finally did remember and turned back to Harry Potter, it was too late.

"REDUCTO!"

Dolohov went flying through the air, a hole in his chest and a look of surprise and fear on his face. His partner had the same look, but it was more of fear as he saw his partner fly across the room. Harry turned his wand towards the dark haired man, he would not be spared. Without saying a word he banished him across the room to land on top of the Death Eater James Potter had previously been dueling with a loud crunch. He then turned towards the other duels, eager for another Death Eater to take out.

James Potter had watched his wife's duel out of the corner of his eye. When he saw his wife fall he turned from his duel and started to run towards her. He then saw his youngest and most mysterious son send two of Voldemort's top Death Eaters flying across the room. Looking closer he saw that his son's eyes, the same color as his wife's, were a glowing green and filled with such a rage that caused chills to be sent down his spine. Once more there was a loud cackling laugh that came from Bellatrix Lestrange. Everyone turned to watch the only duel that was still going on, the others stopped because of Dumbledore's arrival.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room as he dodged at spell from Bellatrix's wand. The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest. The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock. It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall: his body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from the arch, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind, then fell back into place. Bellatrix gave a triumphant scream while Daniel and James screamed in despair.

Harry knew what had happened; the great Auror Sirius Black had finally fallen. He watched as Bellatrix ran for it, she knew that it was lost; Dumbledore was here, the other Death Eaters were captured, and the prophecy was destroyed, there was no point in sticking around. She was no match for Dumbledore by herself. Daniel ran after her and James made to do so but he was distracted by Malfoy giving one last attempt at escape himself. Knowing that staying was pointless as the others had been captured; Harry perused Daniel in an attempt to keep him from doing something foolish. Both however had a good head start on him.

Harry ran and just managed to get to the spinning room as Daniel left. The door however, closed behind him and the room spun once more. Harry didn't have time to try every door; he had to stop Daniel as he was illogical in his emotional state. _Logic_, that was it. Harry remembered Hermione saying that most wizards didn't have an ounce of logic as they relied on their magic too much. The simplest answer was the best.

"Exit!"

The door in front of him opened to the long hallway. At the end Daniel was already riding up a lift. Harry ran to the other end of the corridor yelling Daniel's name, but Daniel either didn't hear or wanted to respond. He too called a lift that took ages to reach him and then back up to the Atrium of the Ministry. Harry forced the golden gates open as he heard a loud 'Crucio' echo across the Atrium. But it wasn't in Bellatrix's high voice but Daniel's. He ran towards the telephone lift, around the Fountain of Magical Brethren. He saw Bellatrix standing in front of Daniel, his wand lost. Harry knew that she wouldn't spare a second thought at killing him; he wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Accio!"

Not expecting the spell, Bellatrix's wand zoom out of her hand into Harry's. He squeezed and Bellatrix's wand broke into two. Her scream of rage echoed all over, nearly deafening Harry. Daniel retrieved his wand and pointed it at Bellatrix as well, who was looking just a little afraid at facing the two Potter brothers wandless. Then, Harry heard a voice.

"You've got to mean it Daniel." Fear surge through Harry. "She killed him, she deceives it." Pain started to flood his head. "You know the spell Daniel." He forced the pain to the back of his head. "Do it!" Daniel spun around, a spell on his lips. But Voldemort was ready. He knocked Daniel to the ground and sent his wand across the Atrium. "So weak. But you're not, are you Harry Potter?"

Harry and Voldemort looked at each other face to face for the first time. Voldemort was exactly like Daniel had described. His tall, thin form was shrouded in a black cloak, his gaunt and snakelike face white, and his scarlet, slit-like pupils staring at Harry. Daniel was right; Harry would never forget what the darkest lord looked like ever. He was staring at Harry as if there was no greater pleasure.

"At last we truly meet Harry Potter, face to face. I regret our last meeting wasn't as joyful as I was busy and mistaken at the time. Now however, we can have a proper greeting."

He spoke slowly, as if he was picking every word with great detail. His wand was slightly raised, ready to fight whenever Harry attacked. But neither of the two wizards looked ready to fight, just stare at their opponent, examining every detail.

"Master, the prophecy is smashed. _He_ is here, bellow."

"Silence Bella, I will deal with your failure later."

Now was the time to attack. Now was the time to get revenge for his mother, Sirius, the Longbottoms, and every other witch and wizard who had died at his hands or whose family was destroyed because of him and his Death Eaters. He fired a quick Expelliiarmus at Voldemort who easily dodged it. He then fired a killing curse at Harry who side-stepped it. The duel had begun.

Voldemort fired another curse at Harry. The sickly green spell passed inches from Harry and hit the Fountain, which gave Harry an idea. He would put the full amount of training Flitwick gave to use. Spinning to face the Fountain, Harry brought to life the five statues. He sent the house-elf to protect Daniel, he would not let him become another casualty, and sent the centaur after Bellatrix who screamed and ran, and the goblin, witch, and wizard were sent to Voldemort who was forced to divide his attention. A cutting curse took of the head of the wizard which fell while a blasting curse split the witch into two, but he was too late to get the goblin which rammed into him and knocked him into the ground.

Harry quickly sent and blasting curse at Voldemort, hoping to end the fight quickly, but it was deflected. The goblin was then blasted apart by another killing curse. Harry wasn't finished yet. While Voldemort was distracted by the goblin, Harry banished the headless wizard at him. The wizard too was destroyed, but it hid the cutting curse Harry had sent after it. Two cut Voldemort's left leg, another his right arm above the elbow, and the fourth grazed his upper right chest. Furious at Harry for drawing first blood, Voldemort sent three killing curses at him which Harry couldn't possibly dodge.

Harry summoned the head of the wizard and the arms of the witch to protect him from the curses. Taking cue from Harry, Voldemort banished the lower half of the witch at Harry while he dealt with the curses. In the manner of copying, Harry blasted the statue to pieces just as Dumbledore and the rest of the Order came from the lifts. He then sent several fire spells at the Dark Lord. Although they wouldn't hurt him, they were a nuisance that Voldemort couldn't ignore. With his cloak on fire Voldemort couldn't do much to block Harry's banishment spell against the remains of the statues. Piece after piece bashed into Voldemort, leave large welts and bruises, under he was able to bring up a shield to protect him.

Transfiguring several of the pieces into large snakes, Voldemort sent them after him along with two more killing curses. Harry levitated two of the snakes to block the curses and set fire to the rest. Voldemort anticipated this and sent the flaming snakes towards Harry who was forced to summon water from the Fountain to protect him. He then sent the heated water towards Voldemort who quickly gathered it up and banished it all around in the form of sharp ice crystals. Harry and the others were forced to cover their eyes to protect them from the ice. With Harry once again distracted, Voldemort sent one last killing curse towards Harry. A large phoenix swooped down and protected Harry. It was then that Voldemort took notice of Dumbledore.

"Meddling old fool, how long are you going to protect him from me?"

"Harry doesn't need much protection Tom, at least not from me. It is clear now that you and he are equals, and that he and I can work together to wear you down to allow Daniel to finally defeat you."

Voldemort laughed. "You still believe that, even with the truth staring you in the face? HA! HA! HA! Watch, as I killing your precious Boy-Who-Lived! AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Dumbledore moved to protect Daniel, but realized too late that the spell was really head for Harry. Harry, seeing Voldemort distracted by Dumbledore, tried one last trick. He fired an Expelliiarmus at same time Voldemort fired his killing curse. The spells met midway between the two duelists and a pulse spread out, nearly knocking Harry, Voldemort, and Dumbledore down, but it did the others. Where the two spells met was a bright golden light. The individual spells dropped a liquid-like substance from the beams and made an electrical, cackling sound. A dome surrounded Harry and Voldemort and a wondrous song sounded in the air. The baby phoenix at his feet listened for a moment and started to sing along, both filling Harry with hope.

Voldemort however, had none of the anger he had earlier or the hope Harry felt but shared the same look of fear his Death Eaters had just before Harry sent them flying only minutes ago. His wand began to vibrate and forced Harry to grip it with both hands. He also felt the need to focus, to force the golden thread in the middle towards Voldemort's wand. So he did. He focused harder than ever, willing the thread to go to Voldemort. Then the thread touched Voldemort's wand and the song echoed like never before. Voldemort's face was full of such fear like Harry had never seen before while Dumbledore's was a mixture of shock and astonishment. Then, flashes started to appear.

First came several green flashes that reminded Harry of killing curses, then a bright ice-blue, followed by several gold ones shaped like snakes, then a shield and more green flashes. After the sixth green flash, Harry realized what was going on; _priori incantetem_, Voldemort's wand was being forced to repeat every spell it had ever performed. More flashes appeared and screams of pain sounded from the wand. Then something strange happened; a solid looking grayish smoke emerged. It twisted around for a bit for forming the body of an old man Harry thought he recognized. Voldemort's face showed complete horror at this new development.

Behind Harry came several whooshes. Taking a quick glance behind him, Harry saw several Ministry witches and wizards appear from several different fireplaces. They arrived just in time to see the body of a plump woman in witch's robes. Harry thought he heard someone say 'Bertha' behind him but he was too focused on his and Voldemort's wands. More flashes and screams came and more smoky bodies appear at random intervals. The bodies walked along the edge of the dome containing the duel, speaking briefly to those of the living that they knew, giving words of encouragement to Harry and hissing words at Voldemort, who was now so scared that Harry was sure if his face wasn't naturally white it would have been completely pale by now.

The appearance of the Ministry and bodies had an effect on Voldemort. Harry watched him try to disconnect their wands several times in what appeared to be an attempt to escape, but was unable to. A final group of bodies appeared, but they were different. They were obviously wealthy as they were dressed in expensive clothes and had a snobbish look on their faces. Harry also noticed that the two men shared similar looks to the Riddle from the Chamber of Secrets. Harry remembered what he had said down there and realized that these people were Voldemort's father and grandparents. It was difficult to see who was more angry or fearful here; Voldemort because of the appearance of his relatives or them seeing their killer. The Riddles stayed back away from all of the other ghosts, speaking only with the old man that had first appeared.

With the appearance of the Riddles, Voldemort's wand became to spit out flashes and sounds that Harry recognized as learning spells; Voldemort's wand was approaching the first spells it had ever done. A few seconds later, the wand sputtered but the effect wasn't going away, though it was diming. There was a loud crack, an explosion, and Voldemort screamed. The song and dome completely disappeared along with the smoky bodies. At the other end of the Atrium, Voldemort held his right hand which was bloody; his wand lay in fragments on the ground. Presented with an opportunity, Dumbledore, the Order, and many of the Ministry wizards moved to capture Voldemort, but he would not be caught. The Dark Lord vanished in a twirl of smoke.

Everyone was looking around and then Harry was on his knees. Pain flooded him from all corners; he could feel Voldemort inside him, using his mouth. Harry heard Voldemort taunt Dumbledore, asking him to kill Harry to kill him as well, sacrifice one life to finally beat the Dark Lord. Harry could barely see Dumbledore in front of him, his wand twitching. He wished Dumbledore would use his wand, ending them both so that he could join his mother. Then something red caught his eye. Standing near the lifts, behind the rest of the Order, leaning on one another, was Hermione and Lily. They were both alive and seeing them filled Harry up and he finally realized something; he loved Hermione. Every feeling he had felt about her ever since Christmas made sense and he did not want to die. He wanted to live, live and let Hermione know how he felt.

There was a scream of pain and rage, Voldemort was gone from Harry. He was standing in front of him, still wounded. He was surrounded. Then, with a loud crack, Voldemort was gone once more. Harry stood, ignoring the whispers and stares from the many witches and wizards around him. He had eyes for only two people, two witches he loved more dearly than any other. Both of them slowly limped forward towards Harry as he slowly walked towards them. After a few steps he broke out into a run and rammed into them. He hugged them tightly, letting his tears fall, showing how much they meant to him. He felt his mother pull away slightly so Harry gave his whole attention to the brown haired witch in front of him. After a few seconds, Harry felt Hermione lean into the hug, sighing contently.

* * *

><p><strong>Woo, this is the longest chapter I have ever written and was a lot of fun. Is everyone happy now? I mixed parts of Dumbledore's duel with Voldemort from both the book and movie into the duel and then added a bit of my own stuff, but I don't know how will it turned out as I'm not very creative. Tell me how I did, review!<strong>


	44. Chapter 44

**I'm really happy with all of the good reviews I've been getting about the last chapter so I'll go ahead and update. Just so you all know, after this chapter there are only ten left, sad isn't it? Oh, well, here we go. You all know what I own and what I don't.**

* * *

><p>Dumbledore sat in his office with a slight headache. Before him sat James, Lily, and Daniel Potter as well as Severus Snape. On his desk lay the morning edition of the <em>Daily Prophet<em>, the titles _**Mayhem at the Ministry**_, _**He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Returns**_, and_** Real Boy-Who-Lived Revealed**_ flashing across the top. He ignored all of them to focus on the matter at hand, figuring out what had gone wrong.

"How did this happened Dumbledore?"

James's question was on all of their minds, though Lily and Severus both had smirks on their face. Severus's was most likely because his enemy's prized son had been proven _not_ to be the Boy-Who-Lived after all of these years. Lily was smirking because she was the only one who knew the truth.

"I'm not entirely sure James, though I must admit, even I, in all my wisdom, am human and prone to make mistakes. I guess it first happen that night. When I examined both boys I checked their magic levels. Harry's was really low, so low that I thought he was a Squib."

"But what about their scars?"

"That was another mistake I made. Harry's is shaped like a lightning bolt or, as I thought that night, a jagged line, like one would get from a scratch. Daniel's V-shaped scar was most unusual, how often do you see a V-shaped scar. I assumed that Daniel's scar was the mark of the Chosen One while Harry's was from a piece of wood. Never did I think that Harry's mark was the right one, but you did, didn't you Lily?"

Everyone turned towards the smirking red head. "I suspected Albus, I have for some time. Tonight just confirmed it."

"How my dear?"

"The eyes, the eyes have it. What no one but me remembers is that when the boys were born, they both had hazel eyes. They were identical twins. After that night I saw that Harry had my green eyes. My family has a special power and those able to use it are identified by their green eyes but they are only identified when they are exposed to magic at a young age. I suspected that when Voldemort attack Harry at a young age, the Killing Curse revealed that Harry had the power and I fought for him because of it."

Dumbledore flashed back to that night. He remembered how days after the attack, while he and James tried their best to persuade Lily to give Harry up, she fought tooth and nail to keep him. She kept insisting that Harry wasn't a Squib. At the time he thought it was because of a motherly instinct that Lily didn't want to give up her child, now it made sense.

"But what about their first year? I thought Daniel kept the Stone from Quirrell and Voldemort."

At this, Daniel looked down at his shoes. Neither Dumbledore nor Snape missed this.

"When I arrived, Daniel was standing while Quirrell was dying and Harry unconscious. Daniel told me that Quirrell knocked Harry out when he wouldn't surrender the Stone. At the time I had no reason to believe I was being lied to so I accepted it without question, another mistake."

Daniel had the decency to blush and look more ashamed at being caught in the lie. Lily glared at her son while Snape's smirk grew. He would have taken points; despite the fact it was four years ago, had James not continued his protests.

"What about second year, Daniel killed the Basilisk!"

"That is not in question, both Daniel and Harry explained what happened down in the Chamber and their stories match. Yes Daniel killed the monster, but he had help from his brother so it was a joint effort."

"And fourth year?"

"Barty Crouch Jr. was slightly insane from being exposed to the Dementors and under the Imperious Curse for so long. I also suspect that he automatically thought that Daniel was the Boy-Who-Lived and put his name in the Goblet. I do not know if he ever realized his mistake or not."

James fell back into his chair, out of protests. Dumbledore half felt like doing the same, however it wasn't as bad as James thought it was. Yes they had wasted nine years training the wrong boy, but the training wasn't a complete failure. Daniel had knowledge greater than some seventh years in theory and was now a powerful student, but Harry was better. Without any training except for his schooling and Flitwick's extra work, Harry had dueled the most powerful Dark Lord since Grindelwald to a stalemate, and that was when he was tired from dueling several Death Eaters. Since Christmas, Dumbledore had imagined him and Harry dueling Voldemort, weakening him for Daniel. Now his dream would have to be slightly changed. He now turned to Severus.

"Voldemort never told you the truth about Harry?"

Snape shook his head. "He never told me. I don't think he trusted me enough with the information. He believes that I'm untrustworthy at the moment, especially since I spend so much time with you."

Dumbledore nodded, that made sense. He would have to work hard over the summer to fix that. Speaking of work over the summer. He once again turned towards Lily. She had revealed that she was taking Harry and moving into another house as well as changing their last name. She and James had been arguing heavily yesterday afternoon so they never noticed Kreacher popping in to steal the mirror. It was also the reason Lily didn't answer her own mirror, by the time she realized she had missed Harry's call, it was too late. At first Dumbledore was concerned because Daniel was losing his mother but now it was because Harry was the Boy-Who-Lived and he was worried that he wouldn't be able to reach him. He had a lot to teach the young Ravenclaw about Voldemort if they wanted to be him for good.

"Lily, do you still intend to take Harry with you."

"Yes Albus, I now have my son back and I intend to keep him. I know you plan to teach him a few things about Voldemort, but it can wait until August, or until the start of the next school year."

Knowing that she was right, Dumbledore decided to turn from discussion of the Boy-Who-Lived. "How is Voldemort taking his latest loss?"

"The Dark Lord is most displeased. Of the twelve Death Eaters he sent to the Department of Mysteries, only Bellatrix managed to escape, though only barely and wandless. Right now she isn't much use. His also unhappy with the fact that nine of his best Death Eaters were sent to Azkaban and revealed, though he plans to fix the Azkaban problem, but not for a while. There is also the problem that he didn't get to hear the prophecy. He is also a little fearful. Potter managed to kill two of his most powerful Death Eaters, and rather quickly at that. And of course there is the problem that he no longer has a wand."

Roused from his defeated slump, James asked, "What _did_ happen between the two's wands Dumbledore?"

"I can only guess James, though I do have admit that even my guesses most likely turn out right. If I had to guess, and I do not think that I'm wrong this time, because Harry's and Voldemort's wand share the same core, phoenix feathers from Fawkes here, they would not work well against each other, though this was only when there spells connect. What happened when they did was a very rare event that very few have ever had the opportunity to see, so let us count ourselves lucky at that. What happened was a magical phenomenon called _Priori Incantetem_, or the reverse spell effect. Both Harry and Voldemort fought in a battle of wills and Voldemort lost. Because of this, Voldemort's wand was forced to display the last spells it performed, as evidence by the ghosts of all the people Voldemort killed. Eventually, the strain of all those spells must have caused Voldemort's wand to fail and it shattered. I will have to warn Ollivander, with both Bellatrix and Voldemort after new wands he will become a major target."

While his family and professors talked in the headmaster's office, Harry sat in the Hospital Wing with Hermione. Although he wasn't injured, Hermione had come out the worst out of all of them. Ginny, Neville, Luna, and Ron had only been stunned or knocked out. Luna's ankle was quickly healed by Madam Pomfrey who also healed Neville's broken nose. Hermione's internal organs however, were badly bruised, though not as bad as they would have been since the spell she was hit with was cast silently. Hermione was not expected to be moved from the Hospital Wing until after the end of the term and was forced to take no less than ten potions a day.

Because of her injuries and needed recovery method, Harry had invited her to stay with him at his and his mother's new house where she could be easily monitored by both Lily Potter and Madam Pomfrey when she made a visit. Excited to spend some time with not only a Hogwarts professor who would be able to provide a great deal of knowledge after their O.W.L. results arrived, but also being able to spend some time with Harry, Hermione accepted at once. Her parents, although upset that she wouldn't be coming home that summer, were happy that she was spending time with her friends. The excuse was that Hermione had caught a rare magical disease that they didn't want the Muggles to catch. The fact that she was with a Hogwarts professor helped. No mention was made that Hermione's friend was a boy, or that he was her new boyfriend. Currently the new couple was seated on Hermione's hospital bed reading the _Daily Prophet_.

_**Mayhem at the Ministry, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Returns!**_

_Late last night, a dozen of You-Know-Who's followers, commonly referred to as Death Eaters, infiltrated the Ministry of Magic itself for purposes unknown. It is believed that they brought seven kidnapped Hogwarts students, including Daniel Potter and his friends, and intended to kill them on Ministry grounds as a threat and statement that their master was back. The students were rescued by several Aurors who were alerted to the missing students by Hogwarts staff. _

_During the rescue attempt, a fierce battle broke out between the Death Eaters and Aurors, who were joined by Daniel Potter. It has been confirmed that elite Auror Sirius Black was killed by Death Eaters cousin Bellatrix Lestrange who managed to escape. The Death Eaters themselves were no without loses themselves. Azkaban escapees Antonin Dolohov and Pollux Crabbe were personally killed by Harry Potter, brother of Daniel Potter, and later revealed to be the true Boy-Who-Lived. _

_The remaining Death Eaters (for a full list see page 3) were captured by Albus Dumbledore, __newly reinstated Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, reinstated member of the International Confederation of Wizards and reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, while the Potter brothers pursued Bellatrix who was rescued by the recently revealed still alive Dark Lord You-Know-Who. You-Know-Who and Harry Potter dueled to a stalemate in front of several Ministry workers, including the Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge. Before being force to retreat, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Name revealed that Harry Potter was the real Boy-Who-Lived. _

"There you go Harry; I knew you would be mentioned somewhere and here it is. And you're even mentioned to be the Boy-Who-Lived. I don't have to worry about you now do I Ginny?"

Ginny and Luna laughed out loud. They had been joined in the Hospital Wing by the two girls, Neville, and Ernie, who wanted to know what had happened and see if his friends were alright. Harry knew that Hermione was referring to statements that Ginny made when she was younger that when she grew up that she would marry the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Don't worry Hermione; I've given up on that fantasy. Although Harry _is_ cute, and just I love those green eyes; he's just not my type. Besides, I've got Neville."

She turned towards her nervous boyfriend, who was doubling as a chair right now, and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Smiling at his friends, Harry gave Hermione's hand a squeeze to show that she had nothing to worry about.

"Those green eyes are kind of nice, aren't they?"

The whole group laughed at that.

"So Ernie, what happened after we left?"

"It wasn't that hard to be honest. Some of the members of the D.A. still held onto their coins in case we called a new meeting. Those that still had them let their friends know and soon everyone was in the Entrance Hall. After that I just had the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad show up in the Entrance Hall were we ambushed them. It was over it two seconds. Then we put them all in Umbridge's classroom, took their wands, and stood guard over them. A couple like Malfoy and Parkinson tried to take points away but they kept getting stunned before they could complete the sentence. The others learned pretty quickly. Several other students saw what we were doing an actually helped out and once they learned, Professors Flitwick and Sprout took over quickly. Now a lot of the Squad has detention until the end of the term and lost a lot of points because of what they did. Dumbledore's reinstatement pretty much returned things to normal. I've got to go; I've got rounds in a couple of minutes."

They all said good-bye to Ernie as he left. Luna followed not long after. Smirking at Hermione, Ginny dragged Neville out the doors so that the two Ravenclaw Prefects were alone in the Hospital Wing. They lay together for a couple more minutes until Madam Pomfrey forced him out so that Hermione could rest. Bored, Harry walked around for a bit until he found Crabbe and Goyle blocking his path. Not wanting to deal with them Harry turned around only to be met with Malfoy who was not happy. Neither of the two boys had seen each other since the overthrow of the Inquisitorial Squad.

"You're dead Potter. I offered you the chance to be on the winning side but you threw it away."

"I'm already on the winning side Draco. In case you forgot I dueled several Death Eaters, including your father, killed two of them, beat Bellatrix Lestrange _and_ Voldemort, all in one night. What's the matter, too scared to hear your father's master's name?"

The moment Harry said Voldemort, Draco had flinched, like everyone else in the Wizarding World. He couldn't help but add insult to injury by calling Lucius Malfoy a servant. Draco had often said that the Malfoys bowed to no one.

"You just got lucky. The Dark Lord will free my father soon and then he'll come after you."

"At least I'll be ready. And I'll beat him again and throw your scumbag father back in prison."

That had been too much for Draco. He started to draw his wand but before he could get a spell off, his wand, as well as his bodyguards, were shot out of their hands by Harry, who had seen what they were doing and stopped them. He then pointed his wand right at Draco's face.

"Come now Draco, I've dueling the Dark Lord remember? Do you really think that you and your stooges are a threat to me?"

"POTTER!"

The four boys turned to see Professor Snape, just finished with his meeting with the headmaster, stalking towards them.

"What do you think you are doing? Magic is forbidden in the corridors, ten points from Ravenclaw!"

"However", came a new voice, "We'll just have to add some to make up for them." Professor McGonagall, leaning on a walking stick, limped towards them. "I think Potter and his friends deserve some points for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who. I think fifty each sounds fair, don't you Severus? That makes two hundred for Gryffindor and one hundred and fifty for Ravenclaw. Oh, and take thirty for Mr. Macmillan as well."

With that, McGonagall went up the stair towards the headmaster's office and Harry, smirking at Malfoy, left towards his mother's office. The next day everyone headed home, though a little less joyful than they normally would because of Lord Voldemort's return. Harry noticed that many of the students, when they saw him, starred wide-eyed at him and whispered intensely to their friends. Because Hermione was still feeling a little weak, Harry had to help her board the Hogwarts Express and took double patrol duty for her. This lead to Harry being ambushed by Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott, though it wasn't much of an ambush. By the time Ernie and the six other D.A. members who were in the compartment next to the ambush got out, Harry had defeated, stunned, and bound all four boys.

On the platform, Harry carried Hermione's trunk for her as she said hello to her parents, who had wanted to meet their daughter at least once before she went to her friend's house. Both Grangers met Lily Potter and Mr. Granger shot Harry a look that said quiet plainly that he didn't like the idea of his daughter spending two months with him, even if they had planned for the entire Hogwarts staff on hand, much less one or two. Harry also ignored his father as he tried to talk with both him and his mother on the platform before giving up and sadly taking Daniel to their empty home.


	45. Chapter 45

**I thought I made a deal wit you all, you give me plenty of reviews and I'll update quickly. Unfortunately, this past chapter hasn't gotten the number I wanted, but I'll let it slide this time as I know that you all want a new chapter. Just remember, the more reviews I get, the faster I update or you'll have to wait a week. Also, I'm surprised at how the poll has changed. _Revenge of the Squibs_ was first place when the poll opened, now it's third, and _To Change the Past_ started out fourth, but now it's second. Keep voting, you have until Chapter 52 is published. You all know what I own and what I don't. Read and review, please.**

* * *

><p>The room was dim, the only light coming from the fireplace behind him. In front of him was a long, beautifully carved, dark wood table. Seated at the table were a dozen or so men and three women; his followers. He was not happy with the numbers. When he had returned a little more than a year ago he had no more than sixteen Death Eaters that had escaped imprisonment in Azkaban; around a third of his total Death Eaters. Another third he had broken out of Azkaban six month ago, increasing his numbers to twenty-five. Now his numbers were back to what they were when he returned. Lord Voldemort was not happy.<p>

As he sat waiting, he thought about how his numbers had fallen. The last third of his Death Eaters had died in his service, either during the First War or after his defeat at the hands of little Harry Potter. Nine of his Death Eaters had been captured a couple weeks ago at the Ministry when they failed to get the prophecy for him. Two more had been killed by Harry himself. Only Bellatrix Lestrange had escaped the Ministry, though barely. The doors to the room opened and everyone turned as Severus Snape entered.

"Severus, you're late."

Bowing, the Death Eater spy replied, "I'm sorry my Lord but it was difficult to get away. Dumbledore hasn't trusted me as much since the news that Harry Potter is really the Boy-Who-Lived came out. He believes that you told me and that I didn't tell him."

"If Dumbledore has stopped trusting you Severus," said the Dark Lord raising his borrowed wand, "Then maybe you are of little use to me as a spy."

Pale, Snape quickly tried to explain, "Of…of course not my Lord, it's just that…"

"Silence!" Snape fell quiet. "Consider this a warning Snape, if your usefulness to me dies, so do you. Understood?"

The potions master nodded and took his seat. Once he had, Voldemort addressed the whole group. "Let Snape serve as an example. Should you fail me or grow useless, Potter will give you a much nicer fate than I."

A couple of Death Eaters shivered. They all knew that he was referring to the fact than Harry Potter had blown Antonin Dolohov's stomach out and how he had crushed Crabbe by throwing Rabastan Lestrange on top of him, who had been seriously injured as a result. They all remembered how their master punished them in the past for failure. The Death Eaters who had been free since Voldemort's downfall especially remembered how he had tortured them after he had gotten his body back.

"Those that failed me at the Ministry will be punished after I see fit to release them. I see no reason why they shouldn't suffer the dementors for now. In the meantime, since the Ministry now accepts my return we can go back to the joys we had before my unfortunate fall. We will force the Ministry to run themselves ragged trying to hide everything from the Muggles as we kill them. We must also work on gaining ground within the Ministry itself as I don't think that Fudge will remain Minister for very long. And then there's the boy to deal with."

"My Lord," Bellatrix sounded from halfway down the table, "I want to be the one to kill him, I want revenge on him for what he did to me at the Ministry. Let me once again prove myself in your eyes, let me kill Harry Potter."

Voldemort starred. "As inspiring as I find your bloodlust Bellatrix, I must be the one to kill Harry Potter. Partly because of the defeats he handed me both fifteen years ago and during our battle at the Ministry. He has given hope to the Wizarding World and that I cannot allow. Hope is like a disease, once it starts spreading, it is difficult to crush. Also, I think you would have trouble beating the boy; he is powerful, almost as powerful as me. Plus, I don't think you can defeat him without a wand Bellatrix, or was yours not snapped by Potter himself before I had to rescue you?"

A handful of Death Eaters had chuckled at the last comment, enjoying Bellatrix's embarrassment. If looks could kill, Voldemort would be down half of his current followers. Some of them only laughed because they knew that there was nothing that she could do to them without a wand; many had heard of her dark skills.

"Of course," Voldemort interrupted, ending the Death Eaters' amusement, "I too, require a new wand. Travers," he addressed a Death Eater at the end of the table," you and Fenrir Greyback will kidnap Ollivander for me. You may kill anyone who is in his shop as well. Lastly we will have to deal with Albus Dumbledore. Hogwarts will be difficult to take by far and I won't dare move to take the Ministry so long as Dumbledore is alive."

The Death Eaters were silent as their master thought. No one wanted to get on the wrong side of Lord Voldemort, even though he didn't have a wand. Finally he opened his eyes and looked at the woman sitting on the left side of Bellatrix.

"Narcissa, bring Draco before me, he wants to be a Death Eater and have revenge on Potter. I have a little mission for him." And the Dark Lord laughed at the face Narcissa Malfoy made at this declaration.

A tired Harry Potter walked into the kitchen of his mother's new house. Lily Potter and Hermione were already there. Hermione was seated at the table in her dressing gown reading the _Daily Prophet_ while Lily was dressed and behind the counter making breakfast.

"Morning Harry, would you like some eggs?"

"Morning Mum, and yes please. Morning Hermione."

His girlfriend shot him a smile and then picked up her fork as Lily put a hot plate in front of her and Harry. They had been out of school for more than a month and it was only a week after Harry's sixteenth birthday. Hermione was fully healed from her encounter within the Department of Mysteries, though she occasionally whist in pain if she laughed or spoke too much. She had kept Hedwig busy all summer, which the owl was happy for, by sending daily letters to her parents about how she was doing. The Grangers responded well with the letters and often asked about Harry. Mrs. Granger wanted to know every detail about the boy that had stolen her daughter's heart while Mr. Granger demanded to know everything the two did together and gave weekly threats to Harry, warning him to not break his daughter's heart.

Hermione also included many details about Lily Potter's house and compared it to a regular Muggle house. Harry didn't think it was a good comparison as his mother was a Muggle-born and had brought many Muggle things into her house. It was an average sized house with five bedrooms, a medium sized kitchen complete with dining room, a living room, a study, and a library, which Hermione absolutely loved and spent much of her time in. The house had a handful of Muggle appliances that were specially modified to run on magic instead of electricity like a T.V., a refrigerator, and a stove. Most magical houses didn't have the last two as wizards tended to cook using magic but Lily Potter wanted to do things the way she had learned growing up.

"Anything interesting in the news?" Harry asked as he ate his eggs.

"Well," Hermione hesitated, "They found Igor Karkaroff's body, the Dark Mark was floating over it, and there was a Giant attack in the West Country, a major bridge collapsed in London, several Muggle families have been killed along with a woman named Emmeline Vance."

"I know her," Lily Potter interrupted as she sat down with them. "She's a member of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's opposition group. Oh dear."

Hermione nodded. "There is some good news; Amelia Bones was elected Minister for Magic."

"Bones? As in Susan Bones' aunt?"

"Yeah, the _Daily Prophet_ says she got a major boost in popularity when she defended herself against six Death Eaters in her own home. It says she killed two, captured one, and possibly heavily injured two more."

"She was favored to succeed Fudge after the truth about Voldemort came out. She became the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement after Barty Crouch left in shame. She earned a reputation of being strict but fair, much like Professor McGonagall. I know her brother Edgar was in the Order and he along with his wife and children were killed in the First War. Madam Bones will make a great Minister, which reminds me. Hurry up and eat Harry, we're going to the Ministry today to finalize our name changes."

"Can I come too, I've always wanted to see the Ministry in action, mainly because I'm interested in how it compares to the Muggle one, but as I plan into going in Magic Law after Hogwarts I really want to see how it all works."

It took a couple minutes for both Harry and Lily to calm Hermione down enough to tell her that she could come with them and few more minutes after that to tell her to get upstairs to change. Half an hour later, all three were having their wands checked at the Ministry's Security Desk. The moment they had entered the Ministry, Hermione was starring wide-eyed at everything that moved. Although Harry knew that they had been here a month ago, he knew that she was drinking in the entire Ministry's activities that she could see.

They took a lift to Level Two, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which held the Magical Record Division. The wizard in charge of name changes was hesitant to allow them to claim the Soleil name as it was an old family but after they proved they were descended from them it was allowed. After twenty minutes, Harry and his mother's name were officially changed. To prove the point, their visitor badges had their new names on them. They had just passed the location where the Fountain of Magical Brethren had stood when someone shouted out.

"WAIT!"

The three turned to see a tall, red haired man with horn-rimmed glasses running towards them. When he stopped in front of them, Harry recognized him as Percy Weasley, Ginny's older brother who had gone to work for the Ministry straight out of Hogwarts. Panting, Percy relayed his message. "Min-minister Bones…would like to…to see you."

"Percy Weasley, wasn't it?"

"Yes…yes mam, it is." Percy said straitening up. Harry knew that Percy liked his mother because she had helped him with his N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s and Percy believed that it was his grades that got him his position in the Ministry. He then led them back to the lifts. Level One had purple carpeting and dark walls. Mahogany doors mark the places where a person had an office on this level, their name and occupation on it. One of them was labeled _Arnold __Peasegood, __Senior Undersecretary to the Minister_.

"Is Umbridge still apart of the Ministry Percy?"

With a sigh, Percy answered, "Yes, though she was demoted due to several parents complaints of what happened at Hogwarts when she was Headmistress. She works in the Portkey Office of the Department of Magical Transportation as it was the only place that would accept her. She spoke highly of you Harry; I see why Minister Bones wants to talk to you."

Harry knew what Percy meant by parents complaints. Umbridge had repeatedly had students write using Blood Quills. Although not illegal or considered a Dark Artifact, Blood Quills wrote using the writer's own blood instead of ink. If used too much, a Blood Quill could cause permanent scaring on a person's hand. Harry knew that Daniel was a repeat victim of such abuse. When the students went home for the summer there had been a major uproar by many parents. He was actually surprised that Umbridge hadn't been charged with child abuse.

They finally came to a door which read _Amelia Susan Bones, Minister for Magic_. Percy knocked twice before entering. The Minister's office was large and decorated in black and gold. The walls were covered in Ministry and Magical Law Enforcement paraphernalia including pictures of wanted witches and wizards like Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry also noticed a picture of a red haired girl his age that he recognized as Susan Bones. Behind the desk sat a tall, square-jawed witch with close-cropped grey hair and a monocle. In two chairs in front of the desk sat the former Minister Cornelius Fudge and a tall wizard with long black hair, a beard streaked with silver, and an unpleasant look on his face. Behind him stood a man that reminded Harry of an old lion with a bushy mane with grey and wire-rimmed glasses who was leaning on a walking stick. All four looked up as Percy and the others entered the office.

"That's enough gentlemen," said the witch, Amelia Bones "Pius, Rufus, I'll meet with you later today to finalize the security arrangements, Cornelius, you're excused."

Fudge and the man called Pius stood and all three men bowed towards the Minister. The group moved to the side to allow the men to leave. Pius starred at Harry as he left while Rufus nodded towards Lily. Fudge however, had to greet Harry.

"Harry Potter my boy, how good to see you again. You're looking well, what are you doing here?" Fudge grabbed Harry's hand and began to shake it for a couple of seconds before Harry managed to remove it.

"It's Soleil now Sir, my mother and I just finished changing our last names. Percy here said that Minister Bones wanted to see us."

Fudge seemed shocked, but then a flicker of hatred passed across his face. He sent a quick glare at Percy before focusing on Bones, who had stood up.

"It is true Cornelius," she said, "I asked Potter, or I should say, Soleil here when I found out he was in the Ministry today. Now please, leave us."

With one last glare at both the Minister and Percy, Fudge left quickly followed by Percy. Bones sighed and motioned for her guests to take a seat as she did. Harry took the seat on the right where Pius sat while Hermione took Fudge's seat. Lily stood behind Harry with her hand on his shoulder. There was silence for a couple of minutes before Bones spoke.

"I bet you're wondering why I asked you here Mr. Soleil." The name sounded weird coming from the Minister, like she wasn't used to saying it. For the first time, Harry realized how used to being called Potter he was and how he would have to get used to his new name.

"I asked you here because first, I want to thank-you for the service you've done the wizarding world last month with your battle with the Death Eaters who broke into the Ministry and your duel with Voldemort. Your actions have provided us with a great deal of hope, even more so since you were revealed to be the real Boy-Who-Lived. I want your help to expand this hope. Although he's lost about half of his Death Eaters, Lord Voldemort is still very dangerous and is causing a great deal of death, destruction, mayhem, and hopelessness across the country. I have a lot of work to fix some of the damage my predecessor did, but it would be a great help if you showed some support for the Ministry."

Harry was shocked. "I think you're already doing a great job Minister, you don't need my help. I mean, look at what you did to those Death Eaters that attacked you in your own home."

"I thank you Harry, that is high praise, but the truth is, I almost didn't survive that attack. Although I take great pride in my dueling skills, six on one is still too much for some people."

"Of course I'll support you Minister, I think you've done a great job so far.

Bones nodded, smiled at Lily, and then turned towards Hermione. "And who are you, if I might ask?"

Nervous at being addressed by the Minister herself, Hermione's answer was barely audible. "Hermione, Hermione Granger."

"My niece has spoken at length about you Miss Granger, it is nice to finally meet someone who puts the Death Eater's ideals through the mud, apart from you Lily, of course."

Hermione was still blushing from the Minister's praise as they left the Ministry ten minutes later.


	46. Chapter 46

**Due to some reviews that have made me unhappy, I decided to update early again. First, let me make some things clear; although what I did could be considered blackmail, I only did it so that I knew that people really cared for this story. Asking people to review lets them set the pace at which the story woule've been updated so that _they_ could've enjoyed it. I also realized that many have finals that they are taking or studying for either this week or next, I'm one of them. So here's the deal; I will update today, Wednesday, Friday, and then Sunday until my finals are over on Thurdsay of next week, then I will update again. After that there will only be a few chapter remaining, so I will figure something out then. So, to those who made me fell bad with their reviews, the old deal is over, happy now? To those who only gave nice, good reviews that made me feel happy, thank-you for your understanding. Until next time everyone.**

* * *

><p>When the three got back to the newly dubbed Soleil's house, they were met by Lily's house-elf Floppy. Floppy had been Lily's favorite house-elf while she lived with the Potters and when she left, Floppy had left with her. Floppy liked Harry very much but was cool towards Hermione, partly because she had offended her on the first day. Surprised that a fellow Muggle-born would use slave-labor, Hermione had ranted about paying and sick-leaves for several minutes until Lily had calmed her down enough to properly explain the way house-elves worked and what they were like. Unfortunately, the minutes Hermione ranted under were badly received by Floppy, who felt that Hermione didn't like and had insulted her.<p>

"Mistress has guest. Professor Dumbledore is here to see young Master."

Curious, and with Lily slightly angry, the three went into the living room where Dumbledore sat in an armchair waiting. Once they entered the room, he stood up and spoke with a smile on his face.

"Ah Lily, you're back, good. I was hoping that I could talk to you and your son?"

Sighing, Lily reluctantly motioned for everyone to sit. Dumbledore sat back down on the armchair he had vacated while Harry, Hermione, and Lily took the couch. "I take it that this isn't a pleasure visit Albus?"

Dumbledore's smile vanished at Lily's tone and looked down slightly. "No, I'm afraid it isn't my dear. I wanted to talk to Harry about taking private lessons with me this year at Hogwarts."

Hermione's eyes lit up at the thought of taking private lessons with the Albus Dumbledore, but Lily's narrowed.

"Why Albus? Harry doesn't need the training that Daniel did, I'm sure you remember what happened more than a month ago. Harry is more than a match for Voldemort."

"That is part of the reason I want to give private lessons, yes. I remember with clarity the duel young Harry had with Voldemort in the Ministry and how he lost his wand as a result, but that does not mean Voldemort is any less dangerous. Just last week a group of Death Eaters tried to kidnap Ollivander, but my warnings saved him. Let's not also forget about the attack on the newly named Minister for Magic Amelia Bones. I don't doubt that had Voldemort not lost his wand he would have attacked her personally. Voldemort is still a very dangerous Dark Wizard."

Dumbledore's eyes traveled to all three of his hosts to make sure they all understood his warning. "It is the prophecy however that concerns me. I take it you told him the full contents?"

At Lily's nod, Dumbledore continued. "I know that neither of you three has any faith in the art of Divination, and frankly, neither do I, but we all know that actually prophecies exist. While we know that Harry doesn't _have_ to fulfill the prophecy, but Voldemort doesn't know that. With what he does know, he will stop at nothing until Harry is dead. To that end, I wish to instruct him about some things that will help him not only survive, but beat Voldemort for good. I know you don't trust me because of what I did to you that night, but I ask you to allow me to train Harry."

As the aged professor finished his little speech, he turned towards Harry and both of their eyes locked. What Harry saw was pleading; Dumbledore was begging Harry to allow him to teach him. Knowing what Dumbledore was saying was true, Harry nodded. Smiling slightly, Dumbledore then turned towards Lily again.

"You still want to teach at Hogwarts?" A nod. "Good. Like Professors Trelawney and Hagrid, you are reinstated to your former post. I also want to know if you want to expand on your role. I asked you former Potions Professor to come back and teach. I wondered if you wanted to be his assistant or to teach the first thru third years Potions." Another nod. "Good, I'll expect a list of course books for those years soon unless you still want to keep the ones we've been using." Dumbledore stood and moved towards the fireplace to use the floo. Before leaving, he turned towards the students one last time. "By the way, your O.W.L. results should arrive sometime tomorrow morning. Good day."

The rest of the day, Harry had to deal with his mother's stories of Horace Slughorn, her old Potions professor and one of her favorites, and Hermione's constant worries over the results of her O.W.L. exams, even late into the night. When he came down the next morning, it was obvious that Hermione had not gotten little, if any sleep, that night. Her hair was bushier than ever with some parts sticking up all over the place, she had bags under her eyes, and teeth marks all over her nails. Her pale face kept turning towards the window ever couple of seconds and kept whispering 'what ifs' under her breath. She stopped occasionally to ask them about certain questions, so much so that even Lily Soleil was starting to get annoyed.

Finally Harry got so feed up he shouted, "Hermione, calm down! You'll fail a class when Draco Malfoy professes his love for and marries a Muggle!"

This got her attention. After starring at Harry for a couple of seconds, she burst out laughing, joined shortly by Lily. Harry wasn't laughing because he had just noticed the two owls flying towards them. Lily stopped laughing when she saw the owls. When she realized that she was the only one laughing, Hermione curiously looked at the two before noticing the owls that were only a couple feet away. She immediately started worrying again, this time whispering 'oh no' under her breath, get higher in pitch as the owls got closer. They flew through the open window and landed on the table and stuck out their legs to deliver their letters.

Slowly opening his, Harry took a look.

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results

Pass Grades:

Outstanding (O)

Exceeds Expectations (E)

Acceptable (A)

Fail Grades:

Poor (P)

Dreadful (D)

Troll (T)

Harry Marcus Soleil has achieved:

Astronomy: E

Care of Magical Creatures: O

Charms: O

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O

Ancient Runes: O

Herbology: O

History of Magic: E

Potions: O

Transfiguration: O

Pleased, Harry took a peek at Hermione's. She had scored O's on everything except DADA, where she had gotten an E. He then gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek because she looked so down. Smiling and blushing, she asked to borrow Hedwig to send her results to her parents. Like she had been waiting for her to ask, the loyal owl flew over from her perch by the back door over to the table for Hermione. The look she was sporting was _you're asking _him_ to borrow _me_?_ Laughing, she send Hedwig out a few minutes later with her results, an explanation, and details about the Ministry of Magic because she forgot to do so last night.

A week later, book lists arrived along with a Captains badge for Harry. They were met in Diagon Alley by the Weasleys with Daniel. Mr. Weasley greeted Harry with a firm hand-shake while Mrs. Weasley gave him another bone crushing hug, thanking him for all he had done for her family. He learned that the Prewett brothers, who had been killed by Antonin Dolohov, were the brothers to Mrs. Weasley. She claimed that he had avenged their deaths with his killing of Dolohov. Harry knew that by killing Dolohov he had ridded the world of a deadly and dangerous man, but it made the death a little better knowing he was helping the uncles of one of his friends.

Ginny greeted Harry and Hermione both with hugs while Daniel and Ron just plain ignored them. Ginny told them that she had very little correspondence with Neville over the holidays, but from what she did know he was doing fine, unlike her brother and Daniel. Both had taken the news that Harry really was the Boy-Who-Lived very hard, they both had lost the fame and prestige that had come with it, especially since everyone knew that Harry and Daniel weren't on good terms with each other. It had gotten worse when the O.W.L. results came, Ron got mostly A's with only E's in Care of Magical Creatures and Defense Against the Dark Arts, D's in History of Magic and Divination, and no O's. Daniel had gotten the same except for the O in DADA and E's in Charms and Transfiguration.

When the two families split up at Gringotts, Mr. Weasley warned them that getting money from Gringotts took a lot longer because of the new security measures. Three hours later and a lot of jabbing with a Security Probe, the Soleils and Hermione left Gringotts with their money bags a lot fuller than they had planned. No one wanted to go back to Gringotts anytime soon. The first stop was Madame Malkin's for new robes. Just as they were entering, Draco Malfoy and his mother were leaving, both gave Hermione and Lily a sneering look but Narcissa Malfoy gave Harry a fearful one.

It took only five minutes to get robes as Madame Malkin obviously didn't want anyone in her shop longer than they had to be, but she did give Harry a smile as they left. It took a lot longer to get their books as Hermione was very reluctant to leave a shop full of books. The Apothecary was empty when they bought a larger selection of Potions ingredients than necessary due to Lily's encouragements. They were rejoined by the Weasley outside Eeylops Owl Emporium where Harry bought more owl treats for Hedwig. The large group then went to Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, Fred and George's new joke shop that held more customers then all of the others shops combined.

The number of customers was nothing compared to the sheer amount of products sold. Hundreds of shelves were filled with countless products ranging from practical jokes like fake wands to complex bits of magic including love potions and daydream charms. Both Hermione and Lily were a little wearying about entering into the shop but soon followed and marveled at the magic the Weasley twins were able to do. Harry overheard his mother muttering thanks to Merlin that even a quarter of this stuff wasn't available when the Marauders were at school. Harry knew it was pointless due to Daniel's Neo Marauders and the other pranksters that were most likely to pop up around Hogwarts due to the amount of jokes sold.

Knowing that he was living in dangerous times, Harry bought several items he found useful. Extendable Ears for eavesdropping on potential trouble makers, Skiving Snackboxes, you never know when the other end of the candy would come in handy, especially the Nosebleed Nougat. Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder for who knows what. He also bought a shield hat and cloak; you never knew when you would need it, especially nowadays. It would also come in handy for blocking hexes and jinxes used at Hogwarts. He even managed to persuade his mother and Hermione to buy one, just in case.

While buying his things, Harry noticed two things; Draco Malfoy walking along by himself, looking over his shoulder, and Ron and Daniel slipping under an Invisibility Cloak after they too saw him. Watching closely, Harry saw them sneak out of the crowded store but lost them in the empty street of Diagon Alley. Having no way of following either of them, and not really wanting to, he left them alone though as he was leaving the shop, Harry inquired about the location of her son and his brother to Mrs. Weasley. Upon not quickly seeing them, she started to panic. Just before leaving the Alley, Harry once again saw Draco, this time sneaking out of Knockturn Alley, where Dark Arts objects were bought and sold.

* * *

><p><strong>There's the next chapter, hope you all liked it. Please review and vote, you only have a little more than a week to make sure the story you want is posted next. <strong>


	47. Chapter 47

**I had just started this chapter when I realized that I hadn't included any on Animavidecy at all during the summer, so I included it here. Again, I'm pleased by the good reviews. They only thing that I own is the Animavidecy ability, though I admit that I was inspired by a part of the _Great Snape Debate_ book, it gave me the idea.**

* * *

><p>The rest of the summer was spent working on Animavidecy lessons, which Hermione sat in on. Although unable to use the talent herself, she felt that she could learn quite a bit by just listening in. Lily Soleil's instructions echoed in Harry's ears.<p>

"Now remember, this is just like Occlumency and Legilimency, you need to maintain eye-contact, though it is easier once it starts working and with practice. Unlike Occlumency and Legilimency however, neither person can move and only the one using Animavidecy can break the trance, so both participants are pretty much defenseless, so make sure you aren't alone when you use it. Once you initiate the eye-contact, you must will yourself to really look at the person, to know them, to try to read them. When successfully completed, both participants will be dragged into the area around the person's soul and will be able to see it."

"What does a soul look like?"

"It is a very difficult thing to describe. The size depends upon the age of the person, with the older they get, the bigger the soul. They also vary in color depending upon the way the person uses their magic, a lighter color for good intentions while a darker color shows bad, with a brightness level determining their power level. There is also a feeling felt by the user. This is determined by what the person feels towards the user, usually there is pleasant warmth for a good friendship. This means that if you and I were to use Animavidecy on Hermione, we would both see the same thing, but would feel different things because we have a different relationship with her."

The first week alone was spent lecturing about how Animavidecy worked and how to use it. The most important parts discussed were how to start using it, how to end it, how to view it, and what you did while you were 'viewing' the person's soul as even doing that was dangerous. Much of the information came from journals Lily found in the Soleil Family Vault while the rest came from practice she did herself. It took almost a month until Harry was finally able to get just three seconds viewing time into Lily's soul. Hermione spent most of her time laughing at Harry's face as he tried to use Animavidecy on Lily. By the end of August, Harry had spent a couple minutes view both Lily's and Hermione's souls. Lily's was a pleasant yellow color while Hermione's was an electric blue.

The morning of September First, the Grangers met their fully healed daughter at Kings Cross to see her off to Hogwarts. Mrs. Granger thanked Lily Soleil for taking in their daughter for the summer while her husband just glared at Harry. All three parents said their good-byes before Harry and Hermione boarded the Hogwarts Express. During the Prefect meeting the new Head Boy and Girl went over some of the new security arrangements for Hogwarts. Harry noted that Draco Malfoy had been replaced by Blaise Zabini due to his involvement with the Inquisitorial Squad though neither he Harry, Ernie, nor Pansy had their Prefect badges taken away.

They later found Draco during their patrol lying in Pansy's lap, who was ignoring her Prefect duties. They also found Daniel and Ron trying to flirt with several girls of varying years whose obvious uninterest was either lost or ignored by both boys. The girls perked up at the sight of Harry but turned sour when Hermione grabbed his hand. Harry knew that they were only interested in him because of what the _Daily Prophet_ was reporting. Even since his duel with Voldemort and confirmed killings of two Death Eaters, they had been calling him things like the Chosen One. The _Prophet_ was even reporting Harry's support of the Ministry, which had caught another Death Eater just a week ago.

They finally found their friends in a compartment in the back. Ginny looked as if she would never move from her seat, which was Neville's lap, and Luna was reading _The Quibbler_, oblivious to everything around her. Once seated, everyone started to share their summers, starting with Harry and Hermione. The talked mostly about Lily's new house, but avoided talking about the Animavidecy lessons as they were supposed to be a secret. Luna, who seemed to be the only one who noticed their lack of details, talked about her vacation to Sweden and Norway to look for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. Ginny talked about how boring her was because of her two house guests; Fleur Delacour, who was to be married to her older brother Bill next summer, and Daniel because his father was too upset over the loss of Sirius and Lily to care for Daniel by himself, not that he was very good at it to start with. Neville's wasn't much different than his usual except for the fact that his grandmother praised him often about his O.W.L. results and experience at the Ministry that June. She said that he was finally living up to his father's expectations.

Neville's tale of getting a new wand was interrupted by a knock at the door. It opened to reveal a little girl blushing a deep red with two scrolls of parchment for both Neville and Harry. Once they grabbed their scroll, the girl shot out the compartment like a rocket. Opening them, the scrolls contained an invitation to join the new Professor Slughorn in his compartment for lunch. Curious, they kissed their girlfriends good-bye and journeyed to the compartment indicated on the scroll. At one point, Harry thought someone was following him, but no one was there. When they arrived, Harry knew Slughorn at once because of his mother's numerous stories about him. He was just like she described; a enormously fat, short, old man with a walrus like mustache. Inside were three other boys along with Susan Bones, though Harry got an extremely warm welcome from Slughorn himself.

Slughorn interrogated all of them at length, turning cold at one of the boys, Belby. When it came Harry's turn, he was questioned the longest and the most, with Slughorn trying to find out everything possible about him. This was, as Harry knew, because he was relatively unknown thanks to his brother's fame. Thanks to his mother's coaching, Harry gave just enough information to keep Slughorn interested while also not revealing too much. He also dropped hints at a few other students that Harry knew about, including Hermione, knowing that Slughorn would investigate them as he was always after new blood. Harry felt uncomfortable during Slughorn's interrogation that had only slight to do with the man. Although he knew that all of the eyes in the compartment were on him, he felt like he was being watched. He also thought he heard a sneeze while Susan was being interrogated, though no one actually sneezed.

When it came time to leave, Harry felt that it couldn't have come soon enough. After saying good-bye to Susan, Harry and Neville went back to their compartment. Again Harry had the feeling that he was being followed, but it disappeared after a few seconds. Back in their own compartment, they were questioned by the girls, a little less by Luna, and changed into their robes, the girls having done so already. The platform was cold and the group quickly found a carriage. Harry could see Malfoy looking quite pleased with himself about something and miming squashing a bug with his foot. He couldn't see what was so funny about it but Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Blaise Zabini were certainly laughing hard.

The Sorting happened fairly quickly. Harry noticed that this year's group of first years was smaller than any other he had seen. Of course, it could be due to the return of Voldemort that caused many parents to not want to send their children to Hogwarts this year. Harry had barely reached for the pudding when the doors to the Great Hall opened and Daniel, his face covered in blood, walked through escorted by Professor Snape, who was smiling like the cat that ate the canary.

Dumbledore's welcoming speech was only slightly different than his others. He welcomed the students, new and old, warned them about the Forest, reminded them about banded items, which had increased due to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, advertised Quidditch tryouts along with the post of commentator, and announced Professor Slughorn would be teaching Potions while Snape would do Defense Against the Dark Arts, much to the dismay of most of the Hall. Harry was one of the few who actually accepted this. He knew that Snape knew more about the Dark Arts than most people and would be an excellent teacher in defense. Finally, Dumbledore's speech was brought to its darkest part.

"As everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once again at large and are gaining strength. Although Voldemort himself was weakened over the summer and has lost a good deal of his Death Eaters, I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The Ministry has granted us several protections and posted a squad of Aurors to protect us. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer and we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that you teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them — in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety. But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"

Harry and Hermione then led the small group of first year Ravenclaws up to their tower amidst many stares. After giving them a rundown of the rules, Harry went up to bed, too tired to talk to his dorm mates. The next morning Harry met Hermione in the common room and they went down to breakfast together. On the way, he caught a glimpse of Lisa Turpin. She looked sad and when she saw the couple walking towards her, she ran. Feeling sorry for his ex-girlfriend but not knowing what to do, Harry let her be. After finishing breakfast, they got their new schedules from Professor Flitwick. Both were taking Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, and Potions with Hermione was also taking Arithmancy and Herbology.

Their first class that day was Ancient Runes. Right from the start Professor Babbling lectured them about how much more difficult the class was compared to the O.W.L. level. She then began another lecture over several Norse runes. By the end of the class they had so much homework that Harry was glad he had Tuesdays off to work on all the homework. The next class was Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was a large class as most seemed to have once been a member of the D.A. The classroom was dark and gloomy and covered in pictures of what some parts of the Dark Arts looked like or their results. Once again, Harry appreciated that it was Snape who was teaching them this year. He had them start working on nonverbally spell-casting. Hermione was able to get it after only a couple of minutes with Harry following half-way through, earning ten points, a generous amount from Snape. The class ended with Snape giving Daniel a detention for failing to follow directions and talking back to a professor.

Thankfully Harry had a break after Defense so he went back to the Tower to work on his homework. He had almost finished his Ancient Runes essay by the time Potions started. There were six Ravenclaws, including them, four Slytherins including Malfoy, Ernie and finally Daniel by himself. Harry suspected that Daniel had only barely passed while his friend Ron didn't. Daniel sat with Harry, Hermione, and Ernie quiet reluctantly, though as it was the only open place, he didn't have much of a choice. He was also forced to borrow a book and set of scales as he didn't know that he would be able to take Potions. The class started out by trying to identify a trio of potions that caused Slughorn to notice Hermione's brilliance. Harry had no doubt that she would get an invite to the next Slug Club meeting.

Slughorn then offered the class a bottle of Felix Felicis, or liquid luck, to whom ever brewed the best Draught of Living Death. That was easier said than done however, even Hermione was having some difficulty brewing it. Looking around Harry saw Malfoy completely focused on his potion, ignoring everything and Daniel was having problems reading his book's instructions as the previous owner of his book and scribbled all over it. Harry was also having problems as his valerian roots were quiet small.

Towards the end of period, both Harry and Hermione's potion was purple instead of lilac though Hermione's was a shade lighter. Taking another quick look around only he and Hermione were the furthest but one look at Daniel's and Harry's jaw dropped. Daniel's potion was the exact color of lilac that the book described. Never before had Daniel been so good at potions and he knew because Neville had told him so. Thanks to Snape's private tutoring, Harry was introduced to techniques that made potion brewing easier for him. As Hermione took the same tutoring lessons as him, Harry was only able to provide competition rarely and only lightly but now Daniel was easily beating Hermione. The period came to an end.

"Stop stirring, time is up." Slughorn went around examining their potions. Hermione's was a very pale pink while Harry had an Alice blue color. Daniel's however was so clear that you could almost see the bottom of his cauldron. "Ah, the clear winner. Excellent work Daniel, it seems I was wrong about you, you've clearly inherited your mother's talent at potions making like your brother. Here you go, one bottle of Felix Felicis as promised." Daniel wasn't too pleased to be compared to Harry but shot him a sly smirk just the same as he pocketed to bottle. Hermione looked heartbroken, not doubt if Daniel hadn't done what he did, she would've won.

"Come on Hermione," Harry said, giving her a kiss on the cheek, "Let's find a way to cheer you up." Hermione smiled softly at Harry and allowed herself to be led from the dungeons.

* * *

><p><strong>O.K., some of you may be questioning a few things, but it is all for a reason, you just have to wait for it.<strong>


	48. Chapter 48

**Here's yet another chapter in _The Return of the Squib Son_ story. I'm sure you all know what to do now, read, review, and vote, if you haven't you better do so soon as the poll will be taken down in a couple of days.**

* * *

><p>Harry quickly learned to make sure that there was always a dish of Hermione's favorite food around after Potions, even going so far as to ask the house-elves of the kitchen to send up a dish right in front of Hermione. Although he wouldn't call Hermione a pig, for some reason, being feed baked apples with a dash of cinnamon by Harry always cheered her up. This was necessary because Daniel's performance in Potions was continually top notch, putting Hermione in second place in that class. Hermione's attempts to beat Daniel each class started to consume her so much that she asked Professor Slughorn for a list of potions that they would be brewing in class and when just so she could study them beforehand. Harry meanwhile, was curious about Daniel's sudden peak in performance. A chat with Neville confirmed that Daniel had never been good at potions; in fact, he was the third worst in class, after Neville and Ron, first and second respectfully.<p>

Harry wanted to investigate, though the amount of homework plus his prefect duties prevented him from digging into it. About two weeks after the start of term, Harry got a note from Professor Dumbledore, asking him to report to his office for the start of his private lessons. Walking to the headmaster's office, Harry debated what Dumbledore wanted to teach him; advanced spell-work, ancient magics, complex defensive spells, some combination of all three, or something else entirely. When he finally entered the office, he found Dumbledore looking at two objects on his desk; a small little book with a hole in the center and a large, oval locket made with gold and green stone inlayed in an S pattern that was lying open. Both object appeared to be slightly burned while the locket also looked smashed. Harry quickly recognized the little book as the diary Daniel destroyed in their second year.

"Good evening Harry and welcome. You no doubt recognize this diary?" Dumbledore motioned towards the little black book. He then pointed towards the locket. "It and its counterpart here are very important pieces, in more ways than one, of what I want to teach you in these lessons. To fully understand what I'm trying to teach you, you'll need a bit of background." Once more, Dumbledore motioned, this time to a stone basin on a side table, "This, Harry, is a pensieve. It allows the user to review memories, which is what I'm about to show you. It is the memory of Horace Slughorn and is very important."

Slowly, Harry stuck his right hand into the silvery gas-like substance and was immediately pulled in. It didn't take long for the surroundings to form into solid shapes and Harry recognized two people; a much younger and slightly thinner Professor Slughorn, and Tom Riddle from the Chamber of Secrets. He was seated in the center of a group of six boys and looked the most relaxed. Harry's eyes were drawn to a gold ring with a black stone on his right hand.

Harry watched as Riddle asked about the retirement of a Professor Merrythought before a sudden white fog covered everything and Slughorn's voice rang out quiet loudly, "You'll go wrong, boy, mark my words." The fog then disappeared and all the boys left, leaving Riddle and Slughorn alone. The fog appeared once more right after Riddle asked about something called Horcruxes. "I don't know anything about Horcruxes and I wouldn't tell you if I did! Now get out of here at once and don't let me catch you mentioning them again!" This time Harry was thrown from the memory and landed by in Dumbledore's office.

"As you saw Harry, that memory has been tampered with. Slughorn changed his recollection of the event to make himself in a better light. He does not like that he gave Voldemort information on Horcruxes."

Harry was confused. "But what _is_ a Horcrux?"

Dumbledore look really uncomfortable for a few seconds, even a little sick, before answering. "A Horcrux, Harry, is an enchanted object in which a person has hidden a part of their soul." Normally with this information Harry would feel a little sick, but with his lessons in Animavidecy he almost threw-up at the thought splitting a soul. Looking satisfied with Harry's response, Dumbledore continued "Four years ago I was first introduced to the fact that Voldemort had used a Horcrux, the diary." For the second time Dumbledore pointed towards the black book. "Last year, just after my little retreat from the Ministry, I went to Grimmauld Place to take a break and plan. While there, the late Sirius Black showed me a locket he had found hidden in his family's old home. I recognized it at once as the locket of Salazar Slytherin that Tom Riddle stole years ago, though I didn't know it was a Horcrux at the time."

Harry's eyes moved from the diary to the locket on Dumbledore's desk. Looking closely he could see the stones looked almost snakelike. "As you can see, the locket has been destroyed as well. After Sirius showed me the locket his house-elf Kreacher burst into the room and tried to steal the locket. After some prodding I learned why he wanted the locket so much. I don't think Sirius was as surprised as he was when he learned that his younger brother Regulus had betrayed Voldemort. Using Kreacher's information, I began to piece together several clues about what Voldemort had done. Unfortunately, I still don't have the most important piece; how many Horcruxes Voldemort made. We know that he made two and I believe he may have made a third, but I do not know where the number stops."

Harry actually had to sit down to prevent himself from being sick, but it was a close thing. Still looking sick and sad, Dumbledore finished his little lesson. "This is where you come in Harry. I believe that Professor Slughorn holds the key to the answers we seek and I need you to help me get them. I need you to persuade him to give up the true, unaltered memory so we can at last see the truth. In the meantime, I will show more memories about Voldemort's past so you can understand him and we can hopefully learn what else, if anything, he had made into a Horcrux." With that, Dumbledore dismissed him and the lesson was over. Harry quickly made his way back to Ravenclaw Tower went to bed despite fact that it was still relatively early in the evening; he did not want to think about more pieces of Voldemort's maimed soul floating around.

The next day, Harry worked overtime on his homework to avoid thinking about Voldemort's Horcruxes, he even read ahead in his classes, though he doubted if understood any of it. Hermione asked what he studied with Dumbledore but Harry refused to answer her. He did see Lisa a couple of times in the library, but she never approached him as Hermione was seated next to him. Hermione didn't see Lisa however as she was buried in books, furiously studying as even she was having some problems in class. Instructions were repeated many times in class for complete understanding.

Of course, Potions wasn't much help as Daniel continually got the best grades. Harry didn't know how he did it as his original guess, his borrowed Potions book, was thrown out after he had seen Daniel get a new one earlier in the week. He had even confirmed that the one Daniel was using in class was the new one. The question of how Daniel got better grades wasn't the only problem in Potions. Per Dumbledore's instructions, Harry had asked Professor Slughorn about the memory, to horrible results.

"Professor, you've taught here at Hogwarts for many years before you retired right?"

"Indeed I did young Harry, for more than fifty years."

"Then you must have known Tom Riddle."

Slughorn's face slipped from a slight smile to a petrified look. Ignoring it, Harry continued. "I've been trying to find out more about him, what kind of dark spells or rituals he might've used. Things like Horcruxes for example."

Slughorn's face was now chalk-white and fearful. "Dumbledore showed you that memory he got did him? Well, if you have seen it, you'd know that I know absolutely nothing about Horcruxes."

"We both know that's not true Professor."

"Nothing! I know nothing, now be gone!" With that, Harry was thrown out of the classroom. Ever since that conversation, Slughorn had avoided Harry's eyes completely and didn't stick around him for longer than necessary. Knowing that he would have to be a little trickier, Harry decided to wait just a bit before trying again.

Harry considered himself lucky that Professor Flitwick had started him on nonverbal casting so he had a head start on everyone else on the subject. This left him with slightly less homework than everyone else. Harry was able to hold Ravenclaw Quidditch tryouts the third weekend because of this. The tryouts went well apart from the fact that six Gryffindors, four Hufflepuffs, and a Slytherin showed up to 'tryout'. It was made worse due to the fact that a handful of hopefuls were first and second years who were hopeless on brooms. Harry was no idiot; he knew that all of this was because they were curious about him. He was so feed-up that he yelled at the third year that had come to deliver a message from Dumbledore. After a quick apology and hug, the girl left the pitch with a smile and slightly giggly.

That night, Dumbledore showed him a memory of the Gaunts, a family of pure-blooded wizards whom were descendants of Salazar Slytherin himself and spoke Parseltongue. The man Marvolo was abusive to his squib daughter Merope and his son Morfin apparently like to terrorize Muggles. They lived in a little shack outside a village called Little Hangleton. Listening and watching closely, Harry realized that Merope was Voldemort's mother. Dumbledore then explain what he thought about the origins of Tom Riddle and what happened to his family. Harry had also noticed that the ring Marvolo wore was the same ring Riddle had worn during Slughorn's memory. Dumbledore smiled when Harry pointed it out.

"Very good Harry, I too noticed this. Tom Riddle started wearing this ring in his sixth year, right after the murder of his father by Morfin Gaunt. I believe that Tom framed Morfin and killed his father and grandparents himself; a memory that I'll show you later. As you saw in Slughorn's memory, Tom wore the ring right up to near the end of the year when he suddenly stopped wearing it, around the time he asked Slughorn about Horcruxes. I believe that the ring may be a Horcrux and I think that I know where it is hidden. I want you to come with me when I destroy it as I believe that I could need help. We'll go on Halloween after the feast."

The morning of the first Hogsmeade visit, Harry noticed Ron and Daniel entering the Great Hall laughing at some spell or hex Daniel had performed. That was another thing Harry noticed different about Daniel this year, strange magic seemed to happen around him and to those that Daniel didn't like. Harry thought that he might have been on the receiving end of some of these spells but his shielded clothing protected him from many spells. Harry once thought he heard them mention something along the lines of "Half-blood Prince' but couldn't be sure.

Hermione was already waiting for him at the Ravenclaw table still working on her Transfiguration essay that Harry thought she had finished last night. He sat down next to her and grabbed a stack of toast. Harry had just taken a bite of the toast when Hedwig arrived with a package for Harry and stole a piece from the stack. Opening them, he saw that it was a box of homemade fudge. It was from Lisa and came with a note. _Please take me back Harry. I'm sorry._

His rewrapping of it to throw away was interrupted in the form of a scream from the Gryffindor table. Daniel was clutching his face while it was attacked by flying bogies. An angry Ginny was standing in front of him with her wand pointed straight at his face while a scared Neville and Ron looked on. Daniel still hadn't given up on dating Ginny and had either offended her or Neville. He fled the Great Hall screaming that Ginny would one day be his. Ginny was still smirking as McGonagall scolded her and took twenty points from Gryffindor.

* * *

><p><strong>First off, as I stated in the first paragraph, I don't want to make Hermione out to be some sort of girl who has to eat to feel better about herself, so don't flame me on that. Second, yes Dumbledore is showing Harry the memories, how else is Harry going to know about the Horcruxes. Finally, and yes Daniel still wants Ginny, and just can't take no for an answer. Hope you liked it.<strong>


	49. Chapter 49

**First, the notes. Razgriz91, I want to thank you for you excellent review two chapters ago. Second, this will be the last time I update because my finals start today. I will next update the moment finals are done, which should be sometime on Thursday. Just to warn you, things will go fast this year so be ready to make major jumps. O.K. on with the story. **

Hogsmeade wasn't very populated due to the ongoing war and the cold. Only a handful of students were braving the weather to visit the village. They encountered Professor Slughorn at Honeydukes who at once invited them to his next dinner. Either Slughorn had forgotten Harry's interrogation or forgiven him, a complete turnaround from just a couple days ago. They accepted at once though Harry didn't really enjoy the dinners that much. After warming up for a while in the Three Broomsticks, the couple left for Hogwarts, too cold to stick around. They were joined by Neville and Ginny, who was talking to the new Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and fellow Chaser Katie Bell.

Hermione questioned Neville on their Herbology homework while Harry, Ginny, and Katie talked about Quidditch, the new Captains not giving up too much information on their strategies. It was a joyous feeling when the five reentered Hogwarts's main entrance and back into the warm castle. From there they spilt up, the Gryffindors to their Tower and Harry and Hermione to the library. Along the way they passed a sour looking Draco Malfoy who had just left Professor McGonagall's classroom for a detention. A quick glare was all he gave the couple.

Slughorn's dinner a couple days later was only slightly enjoyable as they watched Ginny make a fool of herself in front of her idol Gwenog Jones, Captains and Beater for the all-female Quidditch Team the Holyhead Harpies. Jones was impressed by Ginny's flying ability as Seeker and Chaser and promised Ginny that she would consider her for the team after she finished school. Ginny promptly fainted after that too much laughter. Much to Harry's relief, Jones mostly ignored Harry and he got the feeling that she didn't like males all too much. Nearly every single guest Slughorn invited back to Hogwarts had some interest in Harry in one way or another, hence Harry's reluctance to attend the Slug Club meetings.

Ginny's almost position on the Holyhead Harpies really affected her game a couple of weeks later. During the usual Gryffindor/Slytherin match it was hard to tell who was faster, Ginny, racing around the pitch scoring dozens of goals, or the Snitch, desperately attempting to avoid being captured by Daniel or the Slytherin's reserve Seeker Harper. Harry and Hermione joined Neville cheering her on as she scored nearly half of Gryffindor's goals. The only problem for Gryffindor was their Keeper Cormac McLaggen, a seventh year who spent half his time guarding the goals and the other half yelling at the other team members on how to do their jobs. Katie had to call time-out no less than twelve times to yell at McLaggen herself for not doing his job. The match ended when Daniel caught the Snitch with Gryffindor winning three hundred and eighty to two hundred and ten.

While everyone except the Slytherins were celebrating, Harry made his way to Dumbledore's office, tonight was the night they were going after what they thought was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. The aged headmaster was waiting for him when he arrived, the sword of Gryffindor on his desk.

"Good evening Harry, are you ready to begin?"

At Harry's nod, Dumbledore motioned towards his Pensive. "Before we begin, I want you to my memory of when I first met Tom Riddle."

Harry entered and watched as Dumbledore gave Riddle his Hogwarts letter and explained the Wizarding World. Harry was amazed at even eleven years old, the amount of control Riddle had of his power. He was also slightly disturbed at the way he used his power to inspire fear and to control, a hint of what was to come. Riddle was also heavily suspicious, not trusting Dumbledore at all. When Harry emerged, he and Dumbledore discussed what he saw in the Pensive including Riddle's hatred his ordinary name, his control and power, secretiveness, acting alone, trophy collecting (which was important to Dumbledore), and even his fear of Death by believing that magicals didn't die.

"What is also important in this memory is the cave that was mentioned where young Riddle tortured two of his classmates. It is this cave where Kreacher and Regulus Black stole Slytherin's locket. I believe that Voldemort hide his Horcruxes in place he felt were special to him. The orphanage wouldn't be important as it was too Muggle, but the cave was where he performed powerful magics and demonstrated his power of fear and control. We are going to journey to the Gaunt House, where I believe Voldemort hide one more Horcrux. The sword will be used to destroy the Horcrux but I want your promise that you will do exactly what I say, run if I say run, hide if I say hide, and leave me to save yourself if necessary."

At Harry's nod, Dumbledore gave a small smile and then led Harry out to Hogsmeade where they Apparated. It was easy to find the house due to the memory they saw but approaching it was difficult. Harry felt something in his mind telling him to go the other way and to not look in a certain direction. He could see that Dumbledore was also fighting these effects, though it was too a lesser extent that Harry as he was more experienced. Finally, Dumbledore stopped and turned to Harry.

"As this I the Gaunt Shack, and the Gaunts and Voldemort were Parselmouths, I think that the enchantments that prevent us from proceeding could be turned off by a command from a Parselmouth."

Nodding to Dumbledore, Harry focused and did he best to say _end_. Nothing happened and he turned once more to Dumbledore.

"Remember, this is Lord Voldemort we are dealing with, I do not thing such a simple command would work." At Harry strange look, Dumbledore answered, "I can understand a little of Parseltongue, but cannot speak it, try again."

After thinking for a bit, Harry tried again. _I, Lord Voldemort, heir of Salazar Slytherin, command the enchantments surrounding my family's house to fall_. This time, the spells affecting Harry's mind disappeared and the Gaunt Shack was revealed in all of its ugly glory.

"Very good Harry, now take the sword and when you see something that looks like a Horcrux, destroy it. You will know it when you see it."

The two entered the shack. It was worse than Harry remembered; everything was covered in thick dust and grime. The smell of rotting wood filled his nostrils, causing Harry to cover his mouth and nose. The two looked around the shack for several minutes, Harry trying to feel the Horcrux while Dumbledore constantly waved his wand. Finally Dumbledore called Harry over to a section of the floor. Waving his wand, Dumbledore set rotting wood and dust flying into the air. Underneath the floor was a small golden box.

"Remember Harry, destroy the Horcrux the moment you see it."

Using his wand, Dumbledore lifted the box out of the hole and onto a nearby table before opening it. Inside was Marvolo Gaunt's ring; the black stone facing upwards with the Peverell coat of arms displayed. Raising the sword high, Harry brought it down upon the stone. At the same time, two shrieks could be heard; one from the ring, the other from Dumbledore.

Turing around, Harry saw Dumbledore on his knees, tears in his eyes, and his arm outstretched as if he was going to grab the ring before Harry destroyed it. Harry stared at Dumbledore for several second before he lowered his arm and closed his eyes.

"Harry, take the ring. Take it and hide it from me. Never let me get it, please."

Harry did as he asked, reaching into the box and taking out the ring. It was as ugly in person as it was in the memory. Harry noticed that his strike on the ring had left a crack along the vertical line on the coat of arms. As he pocketed it, Harry thought he heard Dumbledore crying. He had to carry Dumbledore away from the shack as the headmaster was crying heavily. Harry wondered what was with the ring that made Dumbledore act the way he did. When they got back to Hogwarts, Dumbledore dismissed Harry without even offering an explanation. He looked at the ring all the way back to Ravenclaw Tower. Deciding it was now just a worthless ring; Harry threw it in the bottom of his trunk and planned to forget about it.

The next morning Daniel was limping heavily and turned absolutely pale when Ginny entered the Great Hall. From what Neville told them in Charms after breakfast, Daniel had once again tried to get Ginny to be his girlfriend with results that left Neville saying that he, and all of the other Gryffindor boys, would be doubly sure to _never_ get Ginny Weasley angry at them, ever. Daniel's pain apparently didn't last very long has soon everyone was talking about how he and Lisa Turpin were dating. Harry was completely shocked at this because Lisa had been trying to corner Harry and get him to take her back for several days now. It had even gotten to where she tried to kiss him flat out to 'remind' him how good she was.

Harry suspected that Lisa going out with Daniel was the two's attempts to make the objects of their affection jealous. His suspicions were proven fairly quickly as Lisa bragged out loud in front of Harry and Hermione about what a better boyfriend Daniel was. Neville also constantly complained about Daniel's boasting about how much prettier Lisa was than Ginny and how she was the luckiest girl at Hogwarts. The only things these comments accomplished were to completely annoy the two couples to no end.

It got even more annoying at Slughorn's Christmas party. Harry, Neville, Hermione, and Ginny met together on the fifth floor before going to the party. When they got there, Harry was almost floored by how beautiful Lisa looked. Her emerald green dress sparkled like stars while her golden hair was in an elaborate bun. She was dancing with Daniel who was wearing bright red dress robes with gold trimming. At first Harry thought they made an excellent Christmas couple, but upon closer examination he realized a truth. Lisa's dress was the exact color of his eyes and the bun her hair was in was the same way he liked her hair. Daniel's robes proudly displayed his house loyalty and also matched Ginny's fiery red hair. The two were trying to advertise how well they would look with their respective pursuit.

Harry swore he saw Lisa smirk at him as a furious Hermione drag him away. Soon Slughorn was dragging Harry around, proudly introducing him and Hermione, "My two best students", to every in the room. Harry had many offers of jobs, book deals, and a hundred other things as Slughorn paraded him around. Many times Lisa managed to work her way onto Harry's arm when Hermione was left behind. It got on Harry's nerves, even more so when everyone he met said how much a good couple they made. Slughorn was oblivious to it all.

Hermione meanwhile, was delayed by the Gryffindor Keeper who was constantly flirting with her, despite the claim that she had a boyfriend. Harry finally managed to detach himself from Lisa and Slughorn when McLaggen kissed Hermione heavily on the lips. Harry quickly decked McLaggen and while he was on the ground, Hermione got him between the legs with one of her high heels. With a final command of 'stay away from my boyfriend/girlfriend to Lisa and McLaggen, the couple stepped outside of the party for a bit. They came back in just in time to see Daniel and Neville involved in a fist fight which ended with Ginny dragging Neville back to Gryffindor Tower with a black-eye and broken nose for a 'reward' and Mr. Filch carrying an unconscious Daniel to the Hospital Wing.

"It is truly terrible to see such promising young men fight like that." Harry turned around; Professor Slughorn was now standing on his left. "Reminds me a great deal of your parents and Severus Harry."

"You don't know? Why, your mother and Severus were great friends during their Hogwarts days, friends since before they came to Hogwarts. I don't think your father liked that very much, especially once he started likely Lily. In fact, I think that was the bases for the entire feud they had while here at Hogwarts. With Daniel looking like James and Ginny looking like Lily, it reminds me so much of your parent's time here."

Looking closely at Slughorn, Harry saw that he was a bit drunk. Now would be an opportune time to try and get the memory he needed. "I think Daniel believes that he is entitled to Ginny because he is the Boy-Who-Lived."

"But Harry my boy, _you're_ the Boy-Who-Lived or the Chosen One or whatever they're calling you nowadays."

"I know that, but don't forget; Daniel was who they believed to be the Boy-Who-Lived before the truth came out. My father spoiled Daniel so much that he eventually believed that he was entitled to whatever he wanted, and he's wanted Ginny for several years now."

"Hmm, I never really cared much for your father that much, he was brilliant in Transfiguration, but that was about it. I would have thought that your mother would've prevented your brother from getting a big head like his father."

"She did try, but there wasn't much she could do where James Potter was concerned. Thank-fully she did much better with me."

"I agree my boy; Lily was always one of my most favorite students. It's even more amazing because she's a Muggle-born, much like your friend Miss Granger."

"Blood has nothing to do with it. Claiming that Muggle-borns are insignificant is Voldemort's idea."

"Please don't say the name Harry."

"Sorry Professor, I've been using it so much that I forget that other people are afraid of his name. I don't have much to fear as I personally beat him in the Ministry last June, don't you remember?"

"Of, of course I remember. It was quite outstanding."

Slughorn was starting to look pale and scared. He wouldn't last much longer Harry knew, it was time to move in for the kill. "I can do it again Professor, this time for good. Professor Dumbledore and my mother have been preparing me for it. All I need is that memory, the one where Riddle asks you about Horcruxes. Once I have it, I can finally end it all; there'll be no more reason to be afraid. I'm sure living here hasn't helped you enjoy your comforts as well as you have in the past."

"No, no it hasn't. It's just, I'm afraid of what that memory shows of me Harry, of what I helped create."

"You don't need to worry Professor. I've seen other memories of Riddle and know what he was like as a teenager. He would've found some other way of getting that information without you, he was very persistent. Helping me now would counter any bad things you've done. It would correct any mistakes. Please Professor, I need that memory."

Slughorn looked down, ashamed, before reaching into his coat pocket to retrieve a small phial. He then placed his wand to his temple and withdrew a silver thread of memory. He then placed the memory in the phial and handed it to Harry before sadly walking away. Harry looked at the memory carefully. He finally had what he and Dumbledore needed, the answer to how many Horcruxes Voldemort had made. The only problem was that Dumbledore was absent right now and wouldn't return to Hogwarts until after the holidays. Harry sighed, viewing the memory would have to wait until the start of the next term.


	50. Chapter 50

**I'm starting to turn sad, there are only four more chapters after this one, including the epilouge, so that means only three more updates. :'( Good news is that my finals are done. The next chapter will be up Saturday followed by Monday. Tuesday the poll will be taken down and some time after that will be the posting of the last chapter and epilouge together along with the summary for my next story, to be posted on Janurary 1. Keep reviewing.**

* * *

><p>Christmas was very enjoyable that year. Once again, Hermione joined Harry and Lily at the Soleil house to spend the holidays and once again Hermione's parents weren't very happy with it. Only after promising to spend the first and last couple of days of break with them had Mrs. Granger relented. Mr. Granger however was still upset over the fact that his only daughter was spending a lot of time her boyfriend's house. The three joined Neville and his grandmother in visiting the Longbottoms at St. Mungo's before they all returned to the Soleil's for Christmas diner. Ginny had also joined them at the hospital, but wasn't allowed to join diner because of her mother.<p>

The day after they arrived back to Hogwarts, Harry was called to Dumbledore's office for another lesson. As he walked, he thought over the countless discussions he, his mother, and Hermione had about them. Harry had only told Hermione that Dumbledore was teaching him about Voldemort's past as he didn't want her to know about the Horcruxes. In the end, he told both witches the truth when Lily started saying how much she still didn't trust Dumbledore. Both had been sick at the idea of Voldemort having Horcruxes floating around and only after that did Lily relent and allow Harry to continue his lessons. When he arrived, Dumbledore was waiting with two phials of memories.

"Good evening Harry, I trust you have hidden that ring?

Harry nodded. "What was sir?"

Dumbledore was quiet for a few moments and spoke slowly and carefully, like he taking the time to think out every word. "A dark object. One of a trio of dark objects that me and a friend of mine had an interest in while we were both teens many years ago. Never tell anyone what you have or where you got it, it is too dangerous. Now, tonight I have two memories to show you tonight."

"And I have one to show you." He held up Slughorn's memory. "I got Professor Slughorn to give up the memory during his party."

"Excellent work Harry, well done. Quickly, quickly, put it in the Pensive. Now at last we'll know the truth."

They then jumped into the Pensive. When they came out a few minutes later, both were emotionally drained. Dumbledore sank onto his chair with a tired expression while Harry only barely managed to get into his own chair. They were quiet for a full minute before Harry spoke.

"Seven. He made seven Horcruxes." He could not believe what Tom Riddle had done to himself, it was too horrible.

"I'm glad you are taking this seriously Harry, but don't forget, Voldemort said 'seven-part soul'. He made six, half of which we have now destroyed."

Harry nodded. While it was still bad he had made so many, six was still better than seven, though just barely. "Do you have any idea what the others are sir?"

Dumbledore motioned back to the Pensive. "I have some ideas, which is what I wanted to show you tonight. I believe that the second memory is the most important, but the first will help to understand why. "

They descended twice more into the Pensive where Harry watched Voldemort question his uncle on his parents and then examine two priceless artifacts that once belonged to the founders of Hogwarts, one of which was the locket Dumbledore had gotten. Between the two memories, they talked about Voldemort's time at Hogwarts, his parentage, murders he committed, and how he came to work at a Dark Arts shop. When they finished, Harry understood. Voldemort liked trophies, that was evident back in the orphanage, but now he collected trophies from his kills. They were his Horcruxes. Now the discussion turned to what they possibly were.

"You have no doubt noticed how attracted Voldemort became to Hogwarts? He now had two items from two of the founders. My heavily educated, and most likely guess, is that he sought out object of the other two founders; Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. I'm certain that he has never gotten something of Gryffindor's, though Ravenclaw's is anyone's guess. I also believe his snake Nagini is the sixth and final Horcrux."

"Sir, have you ever asked the Grey Lady about Ravenclaw's lost objects?"

"Ah Harry, I would not be the first, and most defiantly, not the last to ask her about Ravenclaw. The only Ravenclaw object mentioned a considerable number of time is her Diadem, which was rumored to grant the wearer great wisdom, her most treasure attribute. Sadly, the Diadem vanished around the time of her death and has never been seen by a living soul since. You are welcome to try Harry, but I don't think you'll get very far."

Harry decided not to take Dumbledore's advice and ask Helena Ravenclaw anyways; he felt he would have more luck as they were friends. However, something soon happened that threw asking Helena anything from his mind; Apparition lessons. Twelve lessons to be held over the next couple of months would allow those seventeen before August 31st to learn how to safely Apparate. The lessons were a complete joke however. No one was able to do anything other than get frustrated with the instructor and his Three D's. The only thing remotely interesting was when poor Susan Bones Splinched herself by leaving her left leg behind.

Remembering how worried Slughorn was with the amount of damage he thought he had done, Harry thought he ought to comfort him a bit. The first Potions class of the new term had them studying poisons. Harry watched Hermione struggled to fit fifty-three ingredients into her antidote while he himself was having problems with his own. Looking over at Daniel, Harry saw that he was frantically perusing the pages of his Potions book, looking for some answer. Apparently Daniel's new ability only worked on the brewing part, not the actual creating portion. He silently pointed this out to Hermione, who at once got a large smirk at the thought of being on top once again.

Her smirk vanished however at the end of the class when Daniel produced a bezoar, a stone from a goat's stomach and antidote for most poisons, as his antidote. Slughorn laughed and gave ten points for cheek, passing Daniel. At once Hermione fled the room, bursting into tears. Harry quickly followed, finding Hermione in an abandoned classroom crying heavily. He held and comforted her as she ranted about how unfair Daniel was being treated for doing hardly any work. Harry agreed with her and vowed to find out how Daniel was getting such good grades in Potions, his worst subject ever. He was annoying with his pursuit of Ginny, but now he was absolutely infuriating with his robbing Hermione of her rightly deserved top spot.

Harry's long awaited revenge came on February fourteenth. He met Hermione in the common room with a rose in hand. Blushing heavily, she thanked him with a kiss before allowing him to drag her to the Great Hall for breakfast where she got a dozen more roses, courtesy of Hedwig. Hermione's blush was still present when they left the Great Hall and ran into a worried Neville.

"You guys haven't seen Ginny anywhere have you?" he asked desperately. "I was planning a surprise for her today but I haven't seen her at all. Her friends said that she had already left the common room when I asked earlier but she's nowhere to be seen and when I asked Ron where she was all he did was give me a strange smirk."

Harry was about to reply in the negative, he hadn't seen her at all, when Hermione gave a shocked gasp. Turning, both boys stared wide-eyed as Ginny walked down the main staircase on Daniel's arm, looking lovingly at him. Neither of the three could speak until the couple was right in front of them.

"G-Ginny?"

"Hello Harry, Hermione …Neville." Harry noticed she spoke their names rather coldly.

"Ginny, what's going on? I thought you liked Neville?"

"Oh Hermione, Daniel's constant persistence made me realize how much he really loved me and so I went with the better man."

"That right Longbottom, Ginny here finally realized how much of a dope you were and how much better she would be if _I_ was her boyfriend. See you around Slongbottom." With that, the new couple entered the Great Hall laughing.

All morning, Harry and Hermione tried to cheer up a heartbroken Neville to little effect. His spell casting was so horrible that Parvati ended up rabbit ears and a tail, twice, in one class. Neville did not show up for lunch and Hermione went to go find him before their Herbology class. Harry meanwhile, was trying to figure out why Ginny had dumped Neville and chosen Daniel instead but was coming up blank. It was as if he was completely unable to think of the answer. He knew it, but it just wasn't allowed to come to him. He was so busy thinking that he didn't notice Lisa Turpin slip into the seat next to him.

"Hey Harry!"

"Hello Lisa."

"You look like you're in deep thought. Have some pumpkin juice, it always helps me think." She pushed a full goblet in front of him, which he took.

"Thanks." He didn't know why, but for some reason he felt like he had to, like he was supposed to. He picked up the goblet and drained it in one setting. Immediately he felt weird, like a haze was forming in his mind that wouldn't go away. Turning towards Lisa, Harry couldn't help but feel how beautiful she looked; like a goddess. Harry couldn't get enough of her and extremely wanted to kiss her. Lisa answered that problem for him by kissing him herself. It felt really good, but it wasn't enough, he needed more.

The kiss was ended, much to Harry's dismay, by a loud gasp throughout the Great Hall. Looking up, Harry saw a shocked Hermione Granger looking at the two with a mixture of anger and hurt. Hermione stared at the two for a couple of seconds before running from the Hall. This lifted the haze a bit. Harry didn't know why but he didn't want to see Hermione hurt at all, but there was also Lisa to consider, she was just so perfect. Confused, Harry slowly stood up and left the Hall, leaving a smirking Lisa behind.

The rest of the day, Harry was conflicted. Every time he saw Hermione he just wanted to run and hold her, telling her everything would be alright, but every time he saw Lisa he got the uncontrollable urge to kiss her. He knew something was wrong, but his mind just couldn't figure out what, much like with Ginny and Daniel problem. During diner his thoughts turned to potions for some reason, but he still couldn't figure out why. As Lisa was rubbing his arm, Harry turned towards Hermione who was seating with Luna. Luna had a strange look on her face, well stranger than usual, while Hermione once again looked close to tears.

After diner Lisa made him take a walk with her. As they walked, Lisa talked about what she envisioned their future to be like, but Harry wasn't listening to her at all; he was so close to the answer he could put his tongue on it. Rounding a corner they ran into Luna Lovegood who was wearing an angry look.

"You know Harry; I really thought you were different from other guys. First you get Hermione's hopes up, you make her seem like she's on top of the world, then you bring her crashing down by dating Lisa Turpin again without even having the nerve to dump Hermione first. But I guess if you just wanted Lisa to squirm a bit before you went back to her I was wrong about you. You don't really love Hermione after all."

With that she turned away but something inside of Harry unlocked. Love. That was the answer. The haze around his mind suddenly vanished and the answer was right there.

"Luna!"

Luna turned around in time to see Harry grab Lisa by the shoulders and slam her into the wall next to them.

"Harry! What…"

"You gave a love potion to me didn't you? Didn't you!"

Harry ignored Luna's gasp of surprise and instead focused on Lisa's fear filled face. After a few seconds of looking into his angry eyes, Lisa looked down and nodded.

"Why?"

"Harry! What if it's a love potion that caused Ginny to suddenly like Daniel?"

Luna's question brought him out of his angry state. He had completely forgotten about Ginny and Daniel all afternoon and evening as he had been focused on his own feelings. What Luna said made sense; he had to find Daniel and Ginny. Dropping Lisa, Harry ran off, Luna not far behind him. They both left a crying Lisa behind them. It didn't take long to find them; they also were having an evening stroll. Bringing his wand out, Harry quickly cast _Stupefy_.

For some reason the spell completely missed Daniel but it did grab his attention. Throwing Ginny out of the way, Daniel responded with a few spells of his own. Soon a duel between Harry and Luna against Daniel broke out in the hallway. All of the Ravenclaws' spells just seemed to miss Daniel while all of his spells either hit were just barely blocked. They were quickly joined by Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnegan. Harry didn't know why he was having such a problem with Daniel, the others were hit easily but Daniel didn't have a scratch on him. The odds were soon in Harry's favor when Hermione and, oddly enough, Draco Malfoy joined him and Luna.

Soon Daniel's friends were either stunned or wandless and it was only Daniel versus Harry. Daniel got Harry with a tripping jinx while Harry just barely managed to blast him into the wall with a banishing charm. As he hit the wall an almost empty bottle fell from his pocket and a group of teachers including McGonagall, Slughorn, and Flitwick came around the corner, attracted by all the noise.

Furiously, McGonagall exclaimed, "What is Merlin's name is going on here, fighting in the corridors?"

Luna began explaining things to McGonagall while Harry was distracted by the bottle that fell out of Daniel's pocket. Picking it up he noticed that it was empty except for a small portion of a bright golden liquid that Harry recognized at once; Felix Felicis. There was only enough left for an hour or two of luck.

"Miss Lovegood, those are some serious allegations against Mr. Potter, do you have any proof?"

"Ginny was acting almost exactly the same way Harry was all day and Lisa Turpin admitted to giving him a love potion."

Harry looked at Hermione, who was shocked, angry, and once again starting to tear up. She ran into Harry's arms and started crying, apologizing heavily for everything. Harry just held her tightly, stroking her hair and telling her that she had nothing to be sorry for.

"Mr. Soleil looks fine to me Miss Lovegood. In fact, he doesn't appear to be on a love potion at all."

Harry looked at McGonagall. "I…I think I burn through it somehow. I don't know how I did it, all I did was think of how much I loved Hermione and the effects disappeared."

Slughorn stepped forward at this point. "As I told me sixth year Potions class, love potions don't really create love, just powerful infatuation. However, if a person truly loves another, he or she could burn through a love potion. Rare happenings, but they have happened and I do believe that tonight is one of those happenings. Surely any of the staff can admit that these love each other deeply."

Hermione looked up into Harry's eyes. What he saw was a sparkling love that he just couldn't hold it in. He kissed her deeply as Luna smiled in the background.

"Very well," McGonagall continued, ignoring the couple in front of her "but I want to know how they managed to poison Miss Weasley and Mr. Soleil, surely they were on the lookout for such things as it was well known that Mr. Potter and Miss Turpin wanted them. In fact, I want to know how we missed it ourselves; we teachers are trained to recognize such symptoms."

Harry held up the bottle. "Felix Felicis, Professor or liquid luck. They must've taken some earlier to make sure their plan worked. It also explains how we were unable to hit Daniel with any of our spells just now."

Slughorn took the bottle Harry held out and examined it very carefully before rounding on Daniel. "When I gave out this bottle it was with the expectation that you would use this responsibly, not for childish pranks or selfish gain. I'm going to confiscate this bottle Mr. Potter and twenty points from Gryffindor for such immaturity. Furthermore, you are removed from the Slug Club. I suspect that Professor McGonagall will give out more punishments to you as will Flitwick to Miss Turpin. Right now, however, we need to bring all of this to the attention of the headmaster."

Nodding, the other two teachers woke up Dean and Seamus and then marched the group to Dumbledore's office. Nobody noticed Draco Malfoy quickly and quietly remove the nearly empty bottle from Slughorn's robes.


	51. Chapter 51

**We are coming closer to the end, so sad. Remember, on Tuesday the poll will be taken down, so continue to vote. In first place is _Half-bloods Rule_ followed by _Revenge of the Squibs_. I already can't wait to start, I'm so excited. Remember, the only thing I truelly own is Aminavidecy; just about everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

* * *

><p>The next morning, the news that Daniel Potter and Lisa Turpin had poisoned Harry Soleil and Ginny Weasley with love potion had spread like wild fire. Both of them had fifty points taken away along with Ron Weasley, who knew about it and encouraged it, and had to make a public apology in the Great Hall. In addition, both boys had a month's worth of detention with Professor McGonagall and were unable to participate in any extracurricular activities for the remainder of the year. Lisa was pulled out of Hogwarts by her parents right after they found out. Dean and Seamus weren't punished as they didn't know about the potion.<p>

Surprisingly, the most talked about detail was that Harry was immune from love potions, which apparently made many girls very unhappy. Hermione of course, was happier than ever now that she had her boyfriend back and had proof that he really loved her. What Harry was most confused about was Malfoy's part in all of it. When asked, the Slytherin responded that he had heard the rumors of Daniel's doing and that when he saw the brother's dueling, he sided with Harry as he really didn't like Daniel. Harry didn't know what to make of the blonde boy's response as he had an unpleasant smirk the whole time.

Harry was further confused by Malfoy's action during the regular Ravenclaw/Slytherin match a few days later. Once again it was Harper instead of Malfoy who was playing the Seeker for Slytherin. Harry felt strange for most of the match until he caught the Snitch and won two hundred and eighty to a hundred and sixty. Ravenclaw was now in the lead for both the House and Quidditch Cup, followed by Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor in dead last. Blue fireworks kept popping up the rest of the day as the Ravenclaws prepared to accept the House Cup for the fourth year in a row and the Quidditch Cup yet again.

Harry was walking back from the library days later when he passed by Helena. Suddenly remembering to ask her about any lost Ravenclaw objects, he quickly ran after her.

"Helena! Helena, wait!"

The Grey Lady turned and smiled at Harry as she waited for him to catch up with her and then his breath.

"You…you once talked to Tom Riddle right?"

"Once or twice, he was very charming and it was such a shame that he wasn't in our house."

"Did you ever tell him who you were?"

"He managed to worm the information out of me early in his sixth year, he was very sympathetic." She turned towards Harry and noticed that he was listening very attentively. With a sigh, she continued. "I know why you are asking me this; Dumbledore has asked me several times, the latest being last month. I'll tell you what I told him then; yes I told Tom Riddle about the diadem and where I hide it, no I have no idea where he hide it after or if he found it. The last time I say Tom Riddle was when he asked Professor Dumbledore for a teaching job here more than twenty years ago. It's odd; I know for a fact that their meeting was short, yet I saw Tom more than ten minutes after their meeting ended."

"Where did you see him?"

"Sulking around on the seventh floor. I believe he was staring at that weird tapestry of dancing trolls." With that the Grey Lady floated off.

Harry however, was thinking. He knew that tapestry Helena meant; it was the same one outside the Room of Requirement. He didn't know if Voldemort had hidden something there or not but it was worth a try. He ran all the way to the seventh floor and found a little girl with a pair of scales looking at the tapestry curiously.

"Excuse me?"

The girl jump in shock and dropped her scales. Smiling, Harry bent down to pick them up. He tapped them with his wand, repairing them, before handing them back to her. The girl still looked scared.

"Are you lost?" She shook her head.

"Just curious then?" No response.

"It is a very interesting tapestry isn't it? You better run along, you don't want to be late for your next class." The girl shook her head again.

Harry spent the next several minutes trying to persuade the girl to leave to no avail. Twice more she dropped her scales, which Harry continued to repair. Finally feed up with the girl's stubbornness, Harry decided to leave and come back later to try for the Room. He looked at her House crest and vowed to have a talk with Professor Sprout about her first years. Oddly, the girl never even gave her name. Even odder was the fact that when Harry mentioned her to Sprout, she revealed that the girl in question had in fact been in Herbology at the time.

Harry continued to try and enter the Room of Requirement every free moment he got to search for one of Voldemort's Horcruxes but it was a lot harder than he thought. First off was the fact that it took half an hour to figure out the wording for a room of hiding and then was the size of the room in question. Enormous and filled to the brim of various stolen, broken, or illegal things, searching for a Horcrux was like looking for a needle in a couple of haystacks. There was also the problem of a dozen or so clumsy, curious first year girls who were constantly looking at the tapestry across from the Room who wouldn't budge.

It wasn't until early March that Harry finally had some luck. He had been searching around a lightly damaged Vanishing cabinet when he found a dusty old tiara. It wasn't very large and was silver in color with a large sapphire in the center. Etched below it were the words _Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure_. Although Harry had studied many books on Ravenclaw and seen her bust wearing it, it wasn't the words that let him know what it was. The moment Harry picked it up, he felt a twitch in his arm and from the diadem; this was no doubt what Dumbledore meant when he said that he, Harry, would recognized a Horcrux.

Harry tore out of the Room with the diadem and ran to Dumbledore's office, not even noticing Draco Malfoy walking with a little girl behind him. Within minutes he was presenting Ravenclaw's Lost Diadem to a heavily surprised Dumbledore. Placing the diadem on the desk, Harry stood back as Dumbledore raised Gryffindor's sword high before bringing it down on the priceless treasure, snapping it in half. The moment the diadem was destroyed there was an unearthly scream, like with the Marvolo's ring. With another Horcrux gone, Dumbledore collapsed into his chair.

"Well done Harry, I did not believe, nor could I believe, that Riddle had hidden a Horcrux in this very school. I should've seen it, he loved Hogwarts very much; it was like home for him. Now, thanks to you, we are down one more Horcrux. That just leaves two more; Hufflepuff's Cup and the snake Nagini."

Happier than he had been in a while, Harry left Dumbledore's office with a small spring in his step. _Just two more, two more Horcruxes left. All we need to do now is find the Cup and then we can take out Voldemort's snake and then I'll finish Voldemort for good. It'll finally be over._ Harry's thoughts strayed to what he would do once the war was over. Obviously if he were still in school he would finish first, hopefully at the top with Hermione and a Head Boy's badge. If he had finished school he wanted to take a trip around the world. It was a very popular thing to do and would allow him and Hermione to learn more magic. She had said she always wanted to see Greece.

Thoughts of lying on a Greek beach with a bikini clad Hermione was driven from his mind at the sound of crashing and loud voices. Looking around, he saw the noises were coming from the nearby bathroom. Bursting into the bathroom, Harry was met with an unusual sight; Daniel and Draco were engaged in furious duel while Moaning Myrtle screamed in the background.

Daniel was throwing numerous spells at Draco while shouting at the top of his lungs, "Come on, is that the best you can do you slimy Death Eater!"

"STOP!"

All Harry's shouting did was attract the attention of the two duelists; not a good thing. They both started firing spells at him as well. Harry barely managed to dodge both of them. Myrtle was also screaming at them to stop but Harry guessed she hadn't any more luck than he had. Knowing he had to stop them before someone got seriously hurt, Harry entered the duel himself. Both Daniel and Draco were tired from dueling each other but both were able to hold their own while simultaneously battling the other. Harry would've joined one against the other but neither wanted him on their side and Harry was hard pressed to avoid any spells in the cramped bathroom.

Myrtle's screaming echoed all over the bathroom that it was hard to hear who was casting what. Harry hoped that someone would hear either her or the noise from their three-way duel and some running like he did. No such luck. Harry moved to the left to avoid a red spell and then ducked behind a stall to protect him against an orange one and did not see what happened next. Malfoy's high voice started to cry "Cruci-" But that was stopped by Daniel's loud shout.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!"

There was a sound as if Malfoy chocked on something and then quiet. Suddenly Myrtle let out another scream, but this one was different from her earlier ones. This scream was high and blood curdling. Scared by what Daniel had done, Harry jumped around the stall from which he had been hiding. What he saw nearly made him throw-up.

Malfoy was lying on the ground, shaking uncontrollably as around blood was pooling from long slashes. His face was paler than Harry had ever seen it and was drenched in scarlet blood. Daniel stood over him, his face a mixture of horror, anger, and triumph. Without thinking, Harry quickly disarmed, stunned and bound Daniel before trying to quiet Myrtle, who was still screaming up a storm.

"Myrtle! Myrtle, calm down! I need you to find Professor Snape, McGonagall, or Madam Pomfrey, Draco needs help NOW!"

Myrtle floated out of the bathroom and Harry knelt by Draco. He didn't know what to do, he knew no healing spells and Muggle first aid would be useless; the slashes were too many and he was losing too much blood too fast. Horrified, Harry tore off his and Draco's robes and pressed them against the wounds to try and stop the blood flow. Draco's pale face turned towards Harry's and their eyes locked.

His arm gripped Harry's as he said, "Hold on Draco, just hold on. Help is on the way."

The words were barely out of his mouth when the bathroom door flew open and Professors Snape, McGonagall, Soleil, and Madam Pomfrey ran in followed by Myrtle. Snape joined Harry at Draco's side and began chanting spells to heal him while McGonagall and Lily looked on, their faces as pale as Draco's. Soon all of Draco's wounds were healed with large scaring.

"He needs the Hospital Wing" Snape said to Pomfrey. She and Lily supported Draco as they carried him from the bloody bathroom. He was still shaking, though not as much. When the three were gone Snape turned towards Harry, his eyes full of a fury he had never seen nor wanted to see again.

"Answers, NOW!"

Nervously, Harry began his tale of how he heard the noises of Daniel's and Draco's duel and how he tried to stop it. Myrtle's testimony corroborated Harry's story right up to his orders to find help. McGonagall's face held an unbelieving look that a single one of Daniel's curses could cause such damage. Snape however, looked thoughtful.

"Did you hear what the curse was Soleil?"

"Yes, but I've never heard it before. It was Sectumsepra." He then handed over Daniel's wand for testing. Snape's face held a large look of surprise at the name of the curse. He turned towards Daniel as Lily reentered the bathroom. The Gryffindor's eyes opened to see a furious Snape, McGonagall, Lily Soleil and Harry looking down on him. Daniel gulped. Snape then looked directly into Daniel's eyes.

"Where did you learn such a Dark curse Mr. Potter?"

Lily stepped behind Snape and also looked Daniel in the eyes. Knowing what they were doing, Harry joined them. Although he had never tried Legilimency before, he knew the basic understanding. Focusing on the center of Daniel's eyes, Harry began using a lighter version of Animavidecy.

Harry was pulled into Daniel's soul. It was scarlet red with a slight maroon tint that was slowly fading. He could fell the familiar feeling of his mother nearby and followed it to Daniel's mind. There, he joined Lily and Snape in viewing what Daniel tried so hard to hide. Daniel's efforts were useless as Snape plowed right through his defenses. Soon an image was brought forth. Harry was confused, it was just a copy of _Advanced Potion-Making_. Soon the pages started turning. Harry caught glimpses of scratches and writing all over the text. Looking closely, Harry saw that they were corrections in the potion making method. Soon they were dragged to a page that had the spell _Sectumsepra_ at the top.

Harry felt Snape and his mother retreat from Daniel's mind but he stayed. He forced his way through Daniel's memories of the Potions book, finding correction and spells on every page. He found notes and helpful hints all over that made the potion better. There was even a page dedicated to bezoars. At the front of the book were the words _This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince_. This was how Daniel was doing better in potions, this was how he was beating Hermione; Daniel was cheating. Harry pulled himself from Daniel's mind, his furious look joining his mother's and Snape's.

"You little toad spawn. That's how you've been doing better in Potions. You've been using a book by the so called Half-Blood Prince to cheat you way through class. That book is the reason why you're so good. Hermione is falling to pieces in Potions because of that book. I ought to curse you."

"As amusing as it would be to see the former Boy-Who-Lived cursed by his own brother, we have more pressing matters," Snape interrupted. "I am going to confiscate that book and remove fifty points from Gryffindor for using a Dark curse on another student, especially in this climate. I'm going to take a further twenty for cheating in class as well as every single point you've ever gotten in Potions as well. Furthermore, you are to spend every Saturday with me in detention, do I make myself clear Potter."

Daniel could only nod at Snape's statements, being too afraid to speak. Harry didn't know who Daniel was more afraid of, Snape or his mother.


	52. Chapter 52

**First off, I know many of you are upset because I claimed Daniel had been cheating in Potions. I said this because while I was true that he was using different instructions, he was taking all the credit for it. Harry just said he was following instructions, Daniel claimed that it was all him. Plus, Harry claim Daniel was cheating because he was angry for Hermione, who Daniel was beating in class. I hope that sums everything up.**

* * *

><p>Like after Valentine's Day, the whole school was talking about Daniel Potter's and Harry Soleil's actions, but never before had such a horrible subject been talked about. All throughout the rest of the day and the next couple, Harry was continually asked questions about what really happened. Due to this he heard many rumors ranging from how Draco tried to kill himself and frame Daniel for it all the way to how Draco had found out Daniel was really a Death Eater and dueled him to save the school. All that was agreed on was that Draco Malfoy had been hit by a Dark curse from Daniel and it was only through the actions of Harry that he was alive now.<p>

Most of the school seemed to think that Harry was a big hero for risking his life to save someone else, even a Slytherin. Certainly many Slytherins agreed as many of them smiled at Harry when they passed in the halls and even Pansy Parkinson had given him a large hug while crying her thanks. Only a small portion of the school, consisting of about half of Gryffindor House and a handful of Hufflepuffs and led by Ron Weasley, believed that Draco was being victimized and that Malfoy was really a Death Eater who planned to attack the school only to be stopped by the truth hero; Daniel. The rest of the school ignored these comments while some attacked those that had dared to voice them in front of everyone.

Hermione of course, was only concerned about being back on top in Potions again. When she had found out about Daniel's cheating she had ranted for more than two hours and scared many people from the Ravenclaw common room. She would've ranted longer but Harry silenced her with a long snogging session. Many Gryffindor's were now furious with Daniel, he had lost them almost two hundred points in one go and was now permanently removed from the Gryffindor Quidditch Team on top of all of his detentions. If he had lost most of his respect after the love potion incident, he was now alone because of his curse.

Harry felt sorry for the Gryffindors, especially after the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff. Ron Weasley had replaced Cormac McLaggen after his disastrous opening match in November but due to the love potion incident, McLaggen was back again and was once again causing multiple problems on the team. Harry actually thought he saw Katie Bell burst into tears when the score turned two hundred to eighty in favor of Hufflepuff. The match had only ended when Ginny had caught the Snitch after being replaced by Dean Thomas, ruining the Gryffindor Chaser's teamwork heavily.

Draco Malfoy left the Hospital Wing about a week after his attack. He was healed by the end of the day, but Madam Pomfrey had wanted to keep him for a while to make sure he was alright. Whenever they passed each other in the halls, Malfoy would give him a nod of respect, a thanks for saving his life. Although it wasn't much, Harry preferred Draco's thanks as opposed to Narcissa Malfoy's. She had been alerted almost straight away to the fact that Draco had been heavily injured and rushed up to Hogwarts. She had spent hours by Draco's bed before finding Harry. She had then crushed him with a hug and soaked him with tears, thanking him endlessly for saving her only son. Days later, Harry swore he still had broken ribs.

What concerned Harry the most was why Daniel and Draco were dueling in a bathroom in the first place. Neville answered that question. Apparently Ron's accusations that Draco was a Death Eater actually came from Daniel, who believed it because of some 'evidence' he had discovered over the summer. Harry thought the idea was laughable; there was no way Voldemort would make Draco, a sixteen year old wizard who hadn't even finished Hogwarts yet, a Death Eater. However, there were some small bits of evidence that supported this claim.

Harry hadn't noticed, but every time he had seen Draco that year he was wearing long sleeves. Of course this was explained away by the fact the Hogwarts got cold many times over the year. There was also the fact that Draco was becoming paler and paler as the year went on. Once again this was explain away due to the stress of his father in Azkaban. Anyways, Harry thought, he was starting to get his color back anyhow. Indeed, after the attack in the bathroom, Draco Malfoy looked healthier than he had all year.

On the morning of March fifteenth, Harry awoke with a pain in his scar. Voldemort, while successfully performing Occlumency against Harry and vice versa, had somehow managed to get through Harry's shields and broadcast one emotion; joy. Something that Voldemort had waited for had finally happened and was causing him great joy. Rushing to get dressed, Harry ran to Dumbledore's office to tell him. The headmaster was greatly disturbed by Harry's news as Voldemort had been unusually quiet in the past couple of days. He would alert the Order of the Phoenix and the Ministry to be extra prepared today.

All day Harry couldn't help but feel uneasy over the fact that Voldemort seemed especially happy today. Not even seeing Daniel fail spectacularly in Potions by blowing up his cauldron cheered him up, but it did Hermione. Even since the loss of his Potions book, Daniel had gone back to being absolutely horrible at Potions, maybe even worse than before as it looked like he was trying to remember every single detail from the Prince's book with disastrous results. One time Professor Slughorn had to cancel class early because Daniel had created a potion will such deadly fumes that it was a risk just walking in the dungeons. Today Slughorn just glared coldly at Daniel before taking ten points.

During diner, Harry's uneasy feel only increased as whatever was going to happen was fast approaching. Even Dumbledore looked unnerved at the thought that nothing had happened yet. After diner, Harry had to patrol the corridors. The only people he found were a Hufflepuff couple in a broom cupboard on the fourth floor and Draco Malfoy sulking on the seventh. Afterwards he worked on Defense homework with Hermione while helping Luna with her Charms before going to bed early, citing being unwell. He had just crawled into bed and closed his eyes when he was assaulted by a vision.

He stood in a dimly light room in a small shop, a tall cabinet in front of him. Behind him were his remaining followers, including Bellatrix Lestrange who had acquired the wand of her sister for this mission. Off to the side, his former employer tried to make himself as small and unseen as possible. The man had reluctantly let him and his followers into the shop, but the fool valued his life greatly. The boy had succeeded faster than he could've hoped. It was the middle of the year, no one would expect them to attack now. The boy had also mentioned that they would emerge in the Room of Hidden things, maybe it was worth it to check on his Horcrux. He wouldn't let the others know, no, after they left the Room, he would check to see if it was still safe. It was now time to begin the end of the war.

Harry awoke with a cold sweat and sharp pain in his forehead. Voldemort was planning to attack Hogwarts tonight, right now! Harry looked at his watch, it was nearly eleven; he had to get to Dumbledore quickly. He raced down the stairs into the common room, passed Hermione and Luna who were still working.

"Harry? What-?"

"Voldemort's planning to attack Hogwarts, I have to warn Dumbledore."

With that, Harry left and shocked and scared common room behind. He didn't stop running until he reached the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office, passing a confused Professor McGonagall. As soon as the gargoyle stepped aside, Harry leapt up the stairs, two at a time before bursting open the door to the office. Dumbledore looked up in time to see a red-faced McGonagall follow Harry into the room.

"Voldemort's planning to attack Hogwarts right now. He may even be in the castle as we speak."

McGonagall let out a loud gasp as Dumbledore's eyes widened. "You're sure?"

"Yes, I just saw a vision. He's planning on using a Vanishing Cabinet to sneak into the Room of Requirement along with many of his followers."

"Minerva, alert the Ministry at once. I'll prepare the defenses."

With that, the two wizards Voldemort ever feared left to prepare to do battle against the one that feared them. As the left the stairs, Harry felt a twitch that let him know that the Death Eaters had arrived. Dumbledore saw it in his eyes and leapt into action, casting numerous spells and calling all staff and Order members to him. They arrived quickly and left to the seventh floor. When they arrived, the saw that twelve figures in black robes and wearing white masks were waiting for them. Caught off guard, the Death Eaters were unprepared against the defenders. The battle for Hogwarts had begun.

Harry joined the Order in the first volley, taking out two Death Eaters before the others could retaliate. That was all they could do however. Explosions and bangs sounded throughout the hall as both sides began battling. A sudden the corridor went black as a cloud of powder covered everything, Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. Seeing that the current corridor was undefendable, both sides retreated into other corridors. Harry could hear the cackling Bellatrix among them.

He perused a tall blonde Death Eater that looked uncomfortable, even a little scared, to be facing off against Harry Soleil. They traded blows for several minutes, neither side giving up. Suddenly Harry was brought to his knees by a blinding anger. When he opened his eyes, Harry saw the Death Eater standing over him, a glim in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say a curse when he was suddenly attacked from behind. Looking, Harry saw Hermione, Luna, Ginny, and Neville running up to him.

Seizing his girlfriend in a hug, Harry asked "What are you guys doing here?"

"Saving your butt Soleil. I couldn't leave with myself if something happened to you."

"Come on, the Death Eaters are spread throughout Hogwarts."

The team ran, looking for Dumbledore, Death Eaters, anyone that they could find. Harry was worried; Voldemort had noticed that his diadem Horcrux was missing. He would be really angry. They heard the sounds of battle and ran towards the Entrance Hall. When they arrived, they saw that the Death Eaters were outnumbered; a dozen or so students had heard the noise and joined the battle, Daniel and Ron among them. Neville let out a furious cry and ran straight for Bellatrix, Ginny right behind him. Luna went to join Ernie against a brother/sister pair that was giving him trouble. A large man with matted grey hair and whiskers appeared in front of Hermione. Harry recognized him as Fenrir Greyback, the notorious werewolf.

"Hello pretty" he snarled. Hermione screamed but he was blasted back when he tried to leapt at her. Harry would not let anyone touch his girlfriend. Greyback stood up and growled at the couple. Both prepared to duel him. It went much like a bull fighting match, Greyback would charge them, but they would only just get out of the way. Greyback's speed and strength also prevented him from being hit by any of their spells. However, the floor wasn't as immune.

Firing an _Aguamenti_ charm followed by a _Galcius_ to freeze the water. Result was much like Harry expected. Greyback, who focused more on his speed and strength rather than his mind, slipped on the ice and fellow two stories to the floor below. To finish him, Hermione cast _Stupefy_ and _Incarcerous_ to stun and bind him.

Looking around, Harry saw that his mother and joined Ernie and Luna in battling the brother/sister team while both Daniel and Ron were fighting a familiar person in dark robes. Harry and Hermione ran to stop them as Daniel fired a blasting curse that just missed Draco's head, which was as paler than it had ever been.

"Daniel, stop!"

"Get away Harry! This scrum let the Death Eaters in! I've been watching him all year and I would've stopped him if you hadn't come!"

"NO! NO! I didn't mean…"

Draco fired one last disarming spell at Daniel before fleeing. Ron chased after him while Daniel was forced to go after his wand. Looking around, Harry saw that all the duels taking place were close except for the one between Neville and Ginny against Bellatrix. Although using a wand that didn't belong to her, Voldemort's best lieutenant was no less deadly and was just barely holding her own against them both. Harry started to run over to assist when Hermione screamed. Turned to see what was wrong with his girlfriend, Harry saw that she was pointing towards the top of the staircase with a horrified look. There, red eyes blazing, stood Lord Voldemort himself.

Everyone was attracted by Hermione's screams and turned to see the Dark Lord standing within Hogwarts. At the sight of him, many of the students screamed and ran away, leaving only Harry, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Ernie, Luna, and Daniel as the only underage wizards and witches there. Once he saw who was in his school, Dumbledore blasted his opponent away and rushed forward to defend his students. Harry joined him while also motioning Hermione to stay back, who nodded and joined Daniel with Neville and Ginny.

At the prospect of facing the two wizards he feared the most at the same time, Voldemort looked unnerved, but just as angry and deadly as earlier. Voldemort started the duel with loads of his signature curse, the Killing curse. Harry engaged him directly while Dumbledore provided support and deflected the stray Killing Curses away from the Order and students. Dumbledore didn't even bother with one Death Eater, who fell to his master's own curse. Harry was hard pressed to stop Voldemort, although he knew that he couldn't kill him right now, if he destroyed his body, it would be a major victory. Voldemort's spells weren't as powerful as he was using another's wand, but for some reason, Harry's were almost twice as powerful as before.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw something move. A large snake; Nagini. Turning around, Harry was just in time to see Neville fell Bellatrix Lestrange, avenging his parents.

"Hermione!" The girl turned towards the sound of her name. "Kill the snake, kill the snake!"

Harry pointed to the large green snake that was now attempting to attack Remus Lupin. Hermione nodded and rushed forth to help her former Professor. Voldemort however, was not happy. He turned once again to engage Harry with a vengeance. As he was fighting, Voldemort told the snake; _flee_. Harry did his best to keep Voldemort's attention on him and not on Hermione and Daniel who were attacking the now fleeing snake. It was very difficult as Voldemort force him back several times and then move towards his snake only to be block by either Dumbledore briefly or Harry once again.

There came a great spitting noise. Both combatants turned to see that Daniel had banished a large piece of rubble on Nagini's tale and then using an arrow-shooting spell to keep Nagini in place. This allowed Hermione to use a power severing charm on the snake's head, sending it flying through the air. Voldemort's rage knew no bounds. The pain caused in Harry's scar was so great he just barely managed to look up in time to see Voldemort fire a Killing curse at Hermione. Without even thinking, Harry leapt up and ran as fast has he could, jumping between Hermione and the green spell. It hit him straight on and sent him flying through the air to land at Hermione's feet.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh dear, that's the final chapter before my last update. The next time I update, the story will be over, so sad. Tomorrow the poll will be taken down tomorrow, so vote please. The final chapter and the epilogue will be posted on Thursday. <strong>


	53. Chapter 53

**Here it is the last chapter in my very first fanfic **_**Return of the Squib Son**_**. I am very proud of it and of the fact that I can be counted among the very small number of authors that have finished a wrong boy-who-lived fic. I know many of you want to get right into it and read the ending but first I want to thank a few people. First off is the awesome J.K. Rowling, without whom we would never have Harry Potter and I wouldn't have written this story. Second, I want to thank my beta reader LPlover93 who has read through many of my chapters before I posted them and corrected some of my horrible grammar and spelling. And finally I want to thank you, the readers. Without all of your support and patience I could have never finished this story, you all are wonderful.**

* * *

><p>Harry lay there, for how long he didn't know. After some point he was aware that he must still be alive as he felt the ground beneath him, or was he still able to feel in death. Sitting up, Harry became aware of two facts; one, that he was naked. Two was that his surroundings were very weird; they had a white cloudy mist look that hadn't yet form into something solid. Standing, Harry wished he had some clothes, even though he was alone, or was he. As he pulled on the clothes that suddenly appeared in front of him, he heard a thrashing and whimpering sound coming from his left, someone in the mist.<p>

He followed the sound until he reached a bench. Underneath was something completely revolting; a small, childlike form whose skin was rough, raw, and flayed-looking. It was shuddering about, struggling for breath. Harry didn't want to touch it but at the same time, he deeply wanted to help it. Not sure what to do, Harry slowly reached out his hand towards it until a person stopped him.

"You can't help it Harry Soleil."

Harry turned around to see four witches and wizards standing behind him. The moment he saw them he knew who they were as he had seen many photos and portraits of them. On the far left was a short, round woman with short brown hair and wearing a yellow dress. Next to her was a tall man with thick, long auburn hair and beard wearing orange robes. On his left was a tall, aristocratic looking woman with long, straight black hair who was wearing dark blue robes. Lastly, stand just behind the blue woman was the tallest of the four; a bald, monkeying looking man with a long white beard and forest green robes. Somehow, Harry was looking at the Founder of Hogwarts.

Godric Gryffindor stepped forward, repeating his words. "You can't help it Harry."

Harry was stunned. "Why am I here? How are you here? Am I dead?"

The ever smiling Helga Hufflepuff now stepped forward. "No Harry, but it was a very close thing."

Rowena Ravenclaw then spoke. "You are here because we wish to help you, as well as give you some necessary information."

Harry then turned to Salazar Slytherin. "Help me, you? Why do you want to help me, I would've thought you would have wanted Voldemort to succeed?"

Slytherin spoke with a sneer that reminded him too much of Draco Malfoy. "Although I do wish to see all Muggle-borns gone from Hogwarts, oomph!" Ravenclaw had just elbowed him in the gut. Slytherin continued, glaring at Ravenclaw, "My descendant's methods are reprehensible, those foul Horcruxes should never have existed."

Ravenclaw continued to glare at Slytherin for a couple seconds before turning back to Harry. "Those Horcruxes are also the reason why you are here Harry. When Voldemort attacked you as a baby, his soul was unstable. Then, when his body was destroyed, a piece of his soul was blasted off and attached itself to you."

"Then, I have to die for Voldemort to be destroyed, don't I? That's why I'm here, for you to explain it to me."

Hufflepuff sighed. "Not yet Harry, you're not dead yet."

"But how?"

"When Voldemort stole your brother's blood two years ago, he linked you to life like him. Although it wasn't you blood, your brother's blood was close enough to yours to protect you from death."

"But what about the piece of Voldemort's soul in me?"

"Gone Harry, it is gone for good." Gryffindor explained.

"So, what happens now?"

"Why, you go back of course. Unless you wish to join us in the next great adventure?"

Harry immediately thought of Hermione, and shook his head. He swore he saw Ravenclaw smirk.

"Very well then, it's time for you to go back and remove that vile monster from our school."

"But I can't defeat him just yet, I still have to destroy your Cup Miss Hufflepuff."

She just waved her hand at him. "It is of no matter, you have the power to destroy Voldemort for good right now."

"What?"

Ravenclaw spoke up. "And I thought you were in my house! What has your mother taught you about your lineage, what has Dumbledore said Voldemort's greatest weakness was? Use them both and the being styling himself Lord Voldemort will be gone for good!"

The founders lined up again and pointed there wands at him. "Now go Harry," Gryffindor spoke before they all fired a yellow, red, blue, and green spell at him. As he felt himself leave whatever place he was in, he thought he heard Slytherin mutter 'Good luck'.

Harry felt wetness on his cheek. Slowly, everything came back to him. He felt someone's arms around him as water continued to fall on his face. In the background he heard bangs and spell work. He also heard Hermione crying. With a start Harry realized that it was she that was holding him, crying over his supposed dead body. Shifting, Harry removed himself from Hermione's arms and stood up.

"Harry? Harry! You alive!"

Harry smiled at the still crying Hermione kneeling on the ground. Looking around he saw that all of the other Death Eaters were either lying on the ground or bound with ropes. Amelia Bones and no less than thirty Aurors were standing with members of the Order watch a duel going on behind Harry. He turned and saw Dumbledore struggling to stand up from where he was blasted aside while Daniel and Voldemort dueled. Running over to the aged headmaster, Harry helped him stand up while a look of shock and triumph passed over Dumbledore's eyes. Dumbledore then moved to prevent anyone else from joining the battle while Harry moved towards Voldemort.

Neither Voldemort nor Daniel had noticed that Harry was still alive.

"Once I kill you Daniel Potter, my victory will be complete. Dumbledore knows that without your brother that he can't defeat me."

"You'll never beat me Voldemort, I'll beat you like I did as a baby, and then the Wizarding World will love me again and forget all about my useless brother."

Voldemort laughed and blasted Daniel on his back, his wand flying from his hands and landing feet away.

"You really think you could've beaten me? It was your brother that defeated me all those years ago and now I've just killed him. You don't stand a chance. Good-bye Daniel Potter."

"Expelliiarmus!"

Voldemort's wand flew from his hand and joined Daniel's for away. The Dark Lord turned in fury to the fool who would dare attack him. When his eyes found Harry's, the look of fury turned to absolute horror.

"Impossible."

"I'm not dead yet Voldemort, and you won't be leaving here; alive."

Voldemort silently summoned a fallen wand to his hand. "You think you can kill me? I have studied further into the Dark Arts than anyone, I'm immortal."

"You're not immortal, just a fool. Your Horcruxes won't save you now."

Voldemort's eyes once again filled with horror before narrowing. "We'll see. Avada Kedavra!"

"Reducto!"

The two spells met in midair. It was a repeat of the Ministry duel, both spells fought against one another, neither giving up. Voldemort's anger, raw power, and the killing curse's unstoppableness was having trouble beating Harry's power-upped Reductor curse. With the stalemate initiated, the Death Eaters incapacitated, and Dumbledore preventing anyone else from interfering, Harry was free to use his last power. Finding Voldemort's eyes was easy, locking onto them was slightly harder but once he did, Harry forced his way through. Voldemort's Occlumency shields were powerful, but were swept aside by the power of Animavidecy.

The moment Harry entered Voldemort's soul he was assaulted by darkness. Every dark deed the wizard did filled Harry's being, it was all he could do to not be overwhelmed. He also felt a searing heat, a heat that was best described by a burning hatred but cooled by a frosty fear. Opening his eyes, Harry almost chocked at the sight of Voldemort's mutilated soul. It was small, torn, and ragged, a sign of Voldemort's attempts to make six Horcruxes. The soul itself was a glowing black and Harry was just able to see it past the dark background in which he and a fearful Voldemort were in.

Now that Harry was finally in Voldemort's soul, he didn't know how to proceed. He focused on Ravenclaw's words but couldn't see how love would help him here. He knew that Voldemort was completely incapable of feeling love but he didn't know how to use that to his advantage. Dumbledore had said that when Voldemort had tried to possess Harry's mind at the Ministry, it had gotten a terrible taste of what love was like for him, so maybe he ought to fill Voldemort's soul with love. But how? Harry floated around, searching for some answer. Suddenly he found something that felt like it was being blocked off. Focusing on it, Harry tried to unlock it. He got a glimpse of something dark pink before he was violently forced from Voldemort's soul.

Harry opened his eyes. He was on his knees again, wand at his side. Across from him was Voldemort, but something was wrong. He was clutching himself, moaning.

"What have I done, what have I done? NOOO!"

Voldemort started shaking uncontrollably before screaming horribly. His arms thrust out, his head looking towards the sky as he slowly, from the stomach out, disintegrated into ashes. Soon, all that remained of the Dark Lord was a pile of ashes and a borrowed wand. On March fifteenth, just before midnight, Tom Marvolo Riddle, aka, the Dark Lord Voldemort, died. Miles away, hundreds of feet below the earth in a high security Gringotts Vault, a golden cup started shaking. Slowly at first, then violently before fall of the shelf it was placed on. Once it hit the ground, a black mist left the cup and it moved no more.

Fireworks exploded outside Hogwarts, shooting stars rained down over London. All across Great Britain, the Wizarding World was celebrating the final death of Lord Voldemort. Up in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts, a group of individuals meet to discuss how it happened. Behind the headmaster's desk sat Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, looking as if he had a couple more years added to his life. In front of him sat Garrick Ollivander, the famed wand-maker, out at last of hiding. Beside Ollivander sat Amelia Bones, Minister for Magic, and Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Auror in charge of defending Hogwarts. Also present were the Potter and Soleil families and Hermione Granger, who would not let go of her boyfriend for one second.

The Minister started the meeting. "What I want to know, Albus, is how Death Eaters got into Hogwarts itself when you placed some of the most power wards over the school."

"So do I Amelia. Is there something I missed that the Death Eaters exploited?"

Daniel spoke up. "It was Draco Malfoy. I've been spying on him all year. He was repairing the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement. The Death Eaters must have the other one."

"At Borgin and Burkes, I saw it. Mr. Borgin had to let the Death Eaters into his shop or he would be killed."

"Well, that explains that, but how many Death Eaters are left out there."

Once again, Harry had the answer. "None. Voldemort called all Death Eaters to him for this assault. He wanted to kill me and Dumbledore, as well as capture Hogwarts in one stroke. With Hogwarts in his grasp, he could force the Ministry to give him control or risk the lives of all the students."

Everyone nodded, that was a secure plan and one that most likely would've worked as they had the element of surprise. They were also pleased that there were no more Death Eaters out there. Ten Death Eaters had attacked Hogwarts along with Fenrir Greyback. Three Death Eaters had been killed along with two Aurors who were guarding Hogwarts from the start. The seven remaining Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange and Greyback were now on route to Azkaban where they would await trial along with all the other Death Eaters captured. It was widely believed that most, if not all, would be killed or receive the Dementor's kiss.

"One last question, what happened to Voldemort. One second Harry and Voldemort spells were locked together, the next, Harry was on his knees and Voldemort was screaming bloody murder."

Harry explain the best he could what he did and saw. Lily and Hermione looked sick at the mention of Voldemort's soul while Amelia, Kingsley, and Ollivander were shocked at the fact that Voldemort made six Horcruxes and what they were. Dumbledore looked thoughtful as Harry talked and when he was finished, all eyes turned to him for an explanation of what happened.

"Voldemort, is, or was, a creature incapable of feeling the wondrous thing that is called love. What I believe Harry did was unlock the part of Voldemort's soul that was responsible for love. Once that happened, for the first time in his life, Voldemort's soul knew love. With all of the actions he took as a dark lord along with what he'd done with Horcruxes, his soul was unable to take it all and fell apart. It did not matter if Voldemort had one or a hundred Horcruxes left, his soul was unable to deal with all the feelings and destroyed itself. He is indeed, gone for good."

The celebrations lasted for days. Hogwarts found itself playing host to the largest celebration it had ever seen. People kept showing up to get confirmation personally from either the Minister or Dumbledore that Voldemort was really gone, make sure their children was safe, or just to catch a glimpse of Harry Soleil, the defeater of Voldemort. The dementors were forced to leave Azkaban, and many of the Death Eaters were killed for their crimes, like the Lestranges, while some, like Lucius Malfoy, were sentenced to life imprisonment. Much to Daniel's displeasure Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape were allowed to roam free. Malfoy had been found hiding a few feet from Ron's unconscious body crying. Unfortunately for Daniel as well, the entire Wizarding World forgot all about him.

* * *

><p><strong>Don't forget to read my epilogue and happy holidays everybody!<strong>


	54. Epilogue

**Epilogue **

Harry Marcus Soleil, Charms professor and Head of Ravenclaw House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, stepped out of the fireplace and into the Soleil Family home. He had finished a long day of teaching and happy to finally be back home. As he exited the floo, he heard the voice of his mother.

"…set off down the hill together, arm in arm, and all four led long and happy lives, and none of them ever knew or suspected that the Fountain's waters carried no enchantment at all."

Harry smiled at her voice. Walking into the living room, Harry jokingly said, "Am I interrupting a good story?"

"Daddy!"

Harry was suddenly assaulted by two bushy haired missiles, nearly knocking him over. Looking down, Harry smiled at his two daughters. Eight year old Lily Rose and Violet Jean Soleil looked just like their mother with long bushy brown hair. The only trait the twins got from their father was his emerald green eyes, a symbol of the Soleil family trait. The girl's laughing grandmother stood from the sofa where she had been reading the girls the tale of The Fountain of Fair Fortune, a story neither of the girls' parents had heard growing up.

Lily Soleil I still looked as beautiful as she did from her Hogwarts days. The only difference was that her hair was cut much shorter due to her time working full-time as the Hogwarts Potions Mistress. Lily had taken the position two years after the final battle when Slughorn decided he wanted to get back to his grand luxuries outside of Hogwarts. She had retired herself four years ago, being replaced by Ernie McMillian. Severus Snape had also refused the position. He had retired from teaching before Harry's seventh year. Finally free of Voldemort, he had gone to do what he always wanted, potions research. He had been very successful in the past couple of years and was currently working on a better formula for the Wolfsbane Potion.

"Girls, behave. Your father has just gotten home, he doesn't need you knocking him over the moment he enters the house."

The girl's mother entered the living room from the kitchen, carrying her and Harry's youngest child and only son, two year old Marcus Harry Soleil. Marcus was the spitting image of his father with his mother's deep brown eyes. After having the twins, Hermione Soleil had sworn that they would have no more children, but had been happy enough to discover that she had been pregnant with Marcus. Hermione walked over to her husband and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Welcome home Harry. Go wash your hands girls, it's almost time for diner."

The girls giggled and ran into the kitchen. Upon seeing his father, Marcus reached out, begging for him to be picked up. Smiling, Harry took the two year old from his mother. The three adults then went into the kitchen to eat the diner Floppy had made. As Harry was required to stay at Hogwarts every other night, the girls filled him in on what had happened to them over the past couple of days. Hermione had the Wizengamot finally pass the new House-elf Bill she had been working on. After they had returned from their world travel, Hermione went to work in the Ministry, working towards a high position in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. There were many rumors that she would follow in Amelia Bones' footsteps and become the next Minister for Magic. Harry meanwhile had become Professor Flitwick's apprentice for three years before taking over for the aged wizard.

"Did Neville tell you how excited Ginny was over her victory over the Canon's?"

Neville was now the Herbology professor at Hogwarts, teaching what he loved the most. Unlike Harry and Hermione, he had stayed in England and studied magical plants for a couple of years before starting to teach. He was married to Ginny Weasley, who was now finishing her final season as star Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. They both were debating about children. Ginny's excitement against the Chudley Cannons was because she was flying against her brother and Daniel Potter, Keeper and Seeker for the Cannons respectively. Neither had married.

"I believe he said she talked about it two hours before taking a breath and then went at it again for another three."

Everyone laughed at that. Both of his girls were Harpies fans and given a lot of merchandize by their Aunt Ginny because of it. Consequently, she was their favorite player as well. Their other aunt, Luna, was the Care of Magical Creatures professor at Hogwarts, and often made the class really entertaining. Attendance in that class had almost doubled because of her. Lily then spoke up.

"How's Teddy doing? Not getting into trouble I hope."

Teddy Remus Lupin was Remus and Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin's oldest child, he had just started Hogwarts this year.

"No, Teddy's doing fine. I think he's holding off on the mischief as his mother _is_ one of his teachers. Nothing could be more embarrassing for an eleven year old than getting yelled at, given detention, and grounded by one of your teachers."

Lily and Hermione laughed while Violet and her sister shared a frightened look. Nymphadora had become the Defense Against the Dark Arts teach in Harry and Hermione's seventh year, though it wouldn't be until two years after they graduated that she had broken the curse on the position. Many times in her first two years of teaching she had Remus sub for her because of her pregnancy.

"You wouldn't give _us_ detention, would you Daddy?" Lily Rose asked, making her face the cutest and most innocent as possible.

"You girls don't have to worry about me." Both sighed in relief. "It's your mother you need to be scared of." Both girls faces turned to looks of horror before turning towards their mother, she sent them a sly smirk. Lily laughed at the look on her granddaughters' faces while Harry just smiled and leaned back in his chair. Life was good, he thought.

* * *

><p><strong>That's the end of my very first story; I hope you all enjoyed it. I took the lines directly from my copy of <strong>_**The Tales of Beedle the Bard.**_

**Coming Soon: Harry Potter has died one too many times and his Grim Reaper isn't happy. He is then sent back in time to the summer before his fifth year to correct everything that went wrong and to finally defeat Lord Voldemort once and for all. To do this, he must get the help from his soul mate Tracey Davis, but will she help him? Dumbledore is good and Ron and Mrs. Weasley are bad. Watch out for **_**Half-bloods Rule**_**. **


End file.
